Pyrus 'n Ventus
by Stephy825
Summary: From the time they have first met to the time that they had to separate, lots of things could have taken place...with Dan and Shun it's definitely a whole bunch of moments that they will always cherish in their hearts.
1. Seesaw

1. Seesaw

The playground at the local park was always where the two young boys would meet. Dan and Shun also first met each other here...on the ground...while they were fighting over a piece of wrapped candy they both _coincidentally_ found at the same time. Technically the brown-haired boy started it first, but both of them ended up getting punished by their moms anyway. Strangely the next day when they bumped into each other again, they became good friends...and had always been ever since.

Today was a Saturday, and that meant most of the kids were out again to play, including Dan and Shun. Children were lining up to the slide already, and apparently the only thing that was vacant was a nearby seesaw. "Come on Shun! Let's play over there!" the younger one shouted as he pointed at the blue painted seesaw. "Okay!" he replied as he ran with his friend.

Dan went towards the right while the raven-haired boy sat on the left. Both grabbing the handles at the same time, they sat down in unison, and...

"Woah! I never knew you were so light Shun!" the brunette shouted as he stared at the unbalanced seesaw...meaning that the older boy was way up at the other side.

"Hmph...anyway, let me down already." he said a little annoyed, because the other kid hasn't moved an inch for the past couple seconds. This was supposed to be a seesaw right? What happened to the shifting weights?

All of a sudden, an evil sneer crept on to Dan's face, slightly shocking and scaring Shun a little. "W-what are you thinking Dan-?"

"Oh...nothing." he said with that same smirk. Out of the blue, he made a small bounce on his seat, causing the raven-haired boy's side to bounce as well. "_Ouch_! Dan..!" he complained as he rubbed his back from the sudden bump. Shun then was even more horrified to see that his smile grew bigger.

He jumped a little again, and one more, and another one afterward. All of them being felt by the older one, and making his butt hurt a lot. "Quit it!" he yelled, irritated by the pain from his underside and that Dan didn't show any signs of stopping. More followed until he rested his legs from bouncing, making Shun exhale in annoyance. "That's it; I'm getting out off-"

He only noticed now how high up from the ground he was. He didn't think that his foot would be able to touch the ground unless Dan gets up from his seat. "Oh man..." he mumbled.

The younger one unfortunately also saw what the problem was, and had another idea. "You're not going down Shun...unless you're going to follow my every command tomorrow!" he stated as he sat down firmly on his side. His friend knew exactly where he was going with this, and he was intended on not being bribed by him at all.

The staring contest went down for over ten minutes until Dan got bored from waiting for the other boy to accept defeat. So finally, he slowly got off and let Shun touch the ground, making his sigh in relief at last. "You're lucky this time Shun." he muttered. The elder child chuckled in reply. "Well, what do you want to do next?"

_When their moms woke up the next day and found their children standing right in front of them, they had to go through the entire day listening to the two whine about getting butt cramps from playing on the seesaw yesterday._

_

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_**A/N : **Yeah...I decided to make some more one-shots since I'm bored. Dan and Shun. What do you think? I hope it didn't come out too OOC...but they're kids. So maybe that doesn't matter much yet. I have no idea how much I am going to make, but 50 could be a good number to try aiming for...this was inspired by making my little sister's classmate being trapped in the seesaw by me by the way. I just imagined Shun to be lighter than Dan even though he's one year older. ^ ^ (8/13/10) (Friday the Thirteenth! *gasp*)


	2. Contradiction

2. Contradiction

The ninja had been sitting on the same sturdy branch for awhile, watching the clouds roll by and the bright blue sky. It was calming, peaceful...quiet. Maybe _too_ quiet. Dan was always there to make things noisier, livelier. It felt weird for the boy because he was always comfortable with the silence compared to other people...who would try to find any way to break it. Shun found it strange as to why most kids his age nowadays would prefer to talk nonsense all day rather than to watch nature at its best.

And the nearby footsteps indicated he was about to contradict himself sooner or later. "Hey Shun!" a voice came from below; nearby the tree trunk.

"Nice to see you Dan..." he responded with his eyes shut.

"Come on! Are we going to discuss about Bakugan or what?" the brunette beamed. He knew his red eyes were staring at him pleadingly, and sighed. "Alright..." he muttered as he took position and landed smoothly on the grass in front of his childhood friend, surprising him a little. "Hehe, you're getting better at this ninja stuff aren't you?"

"Hmph. I would prefer to do a Bakugan Brawl rather than train with my grandpa." The raven-haired boy mumbled.

"Well let's go then! We still have to plan out a bunch of other things before we get started you know." he pumped his fist in the air with enthusiasm. Shun hid a small smile as he followed his energetic friend to the center park where they would talk about the rules of the game and the basics they need to create the game that would turn out to be the most famous one some time soon…

_Yes...Dan was always there to make things more fun...the ninja swore to himself he would never admit that to his younger friend though._

_

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_**A****/N :** Another one already? Wow, I made this in like, ten minutes..? Maybe even less. I guess it was because this was really short compared to the other one. Haha...hope it didn't come out as weird. (8/13/10)_  
_


	3. Reflection

3. Reflection

"What's that Shun?" the boy asked as he crouched on the ground while pointed with his index finger to the water. The older one stared at it in confusion and turned back to him. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary Dan." he replied.

"But..! It's just right there in front of you!" he persisted, waving his hand to show emphasis. The raven-haired boy sighed and looked harder, but couldn't see any living thing that struck to him as strange. "There's nothing in the pond Dan..."

"It's staring at us..." the younger boy added, obviously with a slight amount of fear in his voice. Only when he said that Shun knew what he was talking about. "It's just our reflection. Why are you so scared about that?"

"_Reflection..?_" the brunette repeated as he cocked his head while facing the water, surprised that whatever was on the pond did the same. "It's doing whatever I'm doing!"

"That's what a reflection is Dan..." he answered back mildly.

"But why is it copying me?" he questioned.

"Because..." Shun's voice trailed off at the realization as to how he was going to explain this to him. He knew what it was, but he also knew that Dan was going to demand more. "Great...just great." he mumbled softly enough for his friend not to hear.

"Um...a reflection is something...uhm...water normally does when people look at it."

"...even I know that's not a good explanation Shun." Dan said bluntly.

"Okay, okay..._so-rry_..." he muttered in a sarcastic tone. "I sort of just learned the word from my mom so I don't really know why it happens..." the elder boy blushed a little from embarrassment. The other child was silent for a while, looking at the clear water in front of him...and then had an idea. "Sorry Shun!"

"Huh? Why-?" all of a sudden, the younger one shoved him into the pond, creating a big splash and causing tons of ripples as well. In a few moments his head burst out of the water, and he was soaking wet. "W-what did you do that for?" he yelled angrily.

"My reflection's all blurry Shun." he said ignoring the first thing he cried. "Is it because you fell in?"

"What do you mean _fell_?" he thought. "_You're_ the one that just pushed me in!"

"Anyway, at least we know now that if you push someone in, then the scary reflection will disappear!" Dan exclaimed happily, making the other boy do a mental face-palm. "Sometimes I don't get what goes through his mind..." the raven-haired boy mumbled.

Out of the blue, he saw a hand right in front of him, and noticed Dan was extending his arm. "Come on, I'll help you out of the pond. And sorry about what I did okay?"

Normally Shun would have never forgiven him...but...

"Thanks."

_Maybe he could let this one slide._

_

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_**A/N : **Yay~! Another one! Worked half of this yesterday and finished the other half this morning. Wee~

Dan thought the reflection was scary. XD_  
_


	4. Video Games

4. Video Games

"Aww! I lost to him again!" Dan's voice echoed in the classroom, not caring at all that some of his classmates were staring at him. The brown-haired boy was more focused on defeating the Gym Leader...but his Grass type pokemon couldn't do anything at all.

"I thought Chikorita would be easy to use..." he mumbled. "I should have gotten Cyndaquil instead."

He noticed in his Gameboy that his party was already fully healed, and he had the chance to try again to make up for the money he lost...along with his dignity. "Okay, let's go!"

-o-

Even after school was over, he couldn't faint that annoying Pidgeotto. Walking out of the campus, he only had his Ratatta left against the mighty bird Pokemon, and after a strong Wing Attack, his only chance was gone, and he was defeated. _Again_.

"Argh! I hate this game!" he yelled angrily and in rage accidentally threw his Gameboy as hard as he could to a nearby tree. He assumed that a loud 'bang' or 'thud' would come afterward, but Dan didn't hear anything. Instead, he felt a small shoved from the opposite side from where he threw it. "Shun!"

"I didn't know you were into Pokemon Dan." the black-haired boy smirked as he handed the console to the younger boy. "Th-thanks..." he got it back and checked if the game was still fuctioning, then sighing in relief when he saw that it didn't crash or anything. "It's just that I can't beat this pokemon at all. It's like he's invincible or something!" he shouted.

"You mean you haven't defeated _Falkner_ yet? I can't believe how weak you are." at the single word 'weak', Dan broke into a fit of anger once more. "Don't call me weak!" Shun easily dodged what was coming though, and soon the brunette calmed down.

"Let me see your Gameboy Dan." the elder one requested. The other male quickly shook his head, but at the sight of his glare, he reluctantly lended it to him. After a couple seconds, Shun sighed, which made Dan a little annoyed for some reason.

"You're pokemon wouldn't stand a chance against Falkner at this level." he answered bluntly. "You think I haven't figured that out yet?" the other muttered sarcastically. "But the entire time you haven't even tried to train them further haven't you?" Shun added.

"S-so? I leveled up Chikorita-"

"And that's your problem." the black-haired boy cut in. "You barely even gave any experience to your Pidgey and your other pokemon. You knew that Chikorita is weak against Flying types right?"

"Of course I knew that!" he shot back indignantly, though his mind said otherwise.

"Anyway, just train your Pidgey until around level 12 or so and you'll be just fine." with a wave, he turned around and exited the school, leaving Dan there to wonder whether to take his advice or not...

"Wait a sec, _Shun_ plays _Pokemon_?"

* * *

**A/N : **Yeah...the ending was weird...but it would be stranger to continue on anyway. So cool, Shun actually plays! XD And no, I wasn't_ that_ bad as Dan was...to not know that Flying type are effective against Grass types. Though my first pokemon was a Chikorita...

Number 4! Please Review~ (8/14/10)


	5. Secret

5. Secret

Ever since discovering that Shun played Pokemon, he wanted to grab all chances to see him play at least once. Dan didn't even know he had a Gameboy to begin with. The boy wondered how he could have missed it..!

So one day, he was finally able to get the permission from his mom to go to Shun's house for a visit. He had only been there a few times since his mom has been sick and he lives with his grandpa, who is a very skilled ninja. That is why he trains Shun to be a ninja as well, but Dan knew better that he loved Bakugan a lot more than being stealthy and all that stuff.

Standing in front of the dojo-looking house made him a little scared some times. The house was rigged with all kinds of booby traps and the like, so without his friend, he might have ended up in a pit filled with silver spikes...maybe that was exaggerating, but the kid didn't want to take his chances.

He had been knocking on the wooden door for quite a while now, wondering if Shun was actually home. He lied to his mom that he planned it with him...his goal today was to find out why he had kept his Gameboy secret all this time. They could have traded around pokemon and could have gotten stronger together. So why hide it?

Finally, the door creaked open and an old man around eighty years old stood in front of him, glaring at the same time. Dan gulped; this must be Shun's grandfather. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Dan Kuso sir...is Shun here?"

"No...he left some time ago. You're just wasting your time." and after he said those words, he swiftly slammed the door.

"You don't have to be so rude..." the brunette muttered as he turned around and started to walk away until he heard a sound...of children. It was strange, but Dan was sure that he heard a toddler laughing. It was coming from...Shun's backyard?

The male noticed that the way there didn't seem guarded; he just had to pass through the front garden.

What he found at the back shocked him more than the fact that Shun was a video gamer.

_Kids_. Lots of them. The oldest probably only around five or so..! It was like a daycare, and his friend was in the middle of it. The ninja was smiling broadly as they were playing on the trees while some of them were gazing at the pond. Others were circling him, and he was telling them stories about well...Dan couldn't hear it from where he was peeking.

In an attempt to go closer, he accidentally hit a rock, which alerted Shun almost immediately. "Who's there-?"

"S-sorry Shun..." when he stepped out from the shadows, the elder boy was gaping in surprise.

"D-dan?" he screamed.

"That's your best friend Shun-nii?" one of the kids asked as he tugged his purple sleeve. The brown-haired kid noticed him cringed in horror, but the raven-haired male simply exhaled. "Y-yeah...that's him."

At those words, the younger boy was shocked that all of them were now headed towards him like a stampede. And before he knew it, he was being pulled down and asked a ton of questions that he couldn't hear because they were talking all at the same time. The only thing he could see were sparkling eyes of admiration. "What has Shun been telling these kids?" he thought as he tried to get out of the group.

The other guy just sighed. He wasn't expecting this at all...for his friend to barge in here of all days.

_Of all the times he could have picked, he chose the day he had to baby-sit his cousins for the entire morning and afternoon._

_

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_**A/N : **Number 5! The sort of sequel to the previous one. Yes, this one was very random, I've noticed. I don't even know how the chapter lead to it. XD Oh well...not much fluff here this time huh?_  
_


	6. Telling

6. Telling

"You could've warned me about your cousins you know Shun." Dan mumbled to him as they both sat on the rooftop of the ninja's house; the wind blowing a little stronger than awhile ago, cooling them down from the events that happened. Earlier that evening one of the elder boy's aunts came to their house with a van and said she was there to pick the kids up. They didn't all belong to her, but the brown-haired male was already surprised by how many of them swarmed him.

"Uh...you were the one that came to my house without notice remember?" he muttered in reply, making the other's face filled with embarrassment. "R-right...sorry."

"Why did you want to visit me anyway?" the older boy asked.

"I-I was...uhm..." Dan stuttered, and then sighed. Might as well tell the truth now..."I was wondering how you knew Pokémon like you're an expert."

"That's it?" a nod with a sheepish smile was returned to him. The ninja exhaled sharply. "You went all the trouble just to find out about that huh..."

The pair watched the stars in silence afterward, none of them continuing the conversation anymore. It was relaxing...to gaze at the cloudless night sky with his best friend beside you and the breeze blowing on their faces...finally, Shun explained to him how he knew in the first place.

"So let me get this straight..." Dan said as he finished up his story. "You're cousins were the one that introduced you to Pokémon, and you never had a Gameboy at all." all of a sudden he paused, and just stared at the other guy.

"Do you think grandfather would allow me to have one?" Shun questioned to answer the thought in his mind.

"Well...no." he replied.

"Then go on with what you were saying." the raven-haired boy gestured him 'carry on' with his hand. Dan thought it was a little scary how he knew what he was thinking, was he really that predictable..?

"A-anyway...because you helped them a lot, you were able to learn many things about the game..."

"Mhm...that's the gist of it."

"Then that means this isn't your first time babysitting them?" the elder boy shook his head. "Whenever my relatives would go on a vacation and can't bring their kids along, I'm the only person they could turn to."

"How come you never told me about this?"

"Those children hold their respect to others seriously...and I've accidentally told them things about you before."

"So they think like I'm some kind of _cool _person..?"

"...yeah." Shun sighed while closing his eyes for a moment. The both of them were quiet again until the brunette's curiosity got the better of him. "...what did you tell them?"

"T-that's a secret." Dan saw that his eyes quickly darted away from his face, and that he was blushing a little too from the awkwardness. "Come on, it can't be that bad."

"I won't tell you no matter what you do."

"Please?" the younger one tried doing the 'puppy dog eyes' on him, but Shun had already seen this trick before when they were small, and he wasn't falling for it...again. "_No_."

"_Pretty_ please..?" he persisted.

"Shouldn't you be going back to your house now?" the ninja said in an attempt to change the subject before it got out of hand.

"Oh yeah..! Thanks for reminding me!" Dan swiftly entered the panel where he could exit the house, leaving Shun all alone now on the rooftop. Before long he could see his silhouette run on the path that lead back to the city area where he would go home and hopefully not say anything to his internet buddies.

_No way he was going to tell him...because saying that he sometimes admired his determination would be too off from his usual attitude...and that was only _one_ of the things he said._

_

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_**A/N : **Wee~number six. Hope they weren't OOC in this chapter. XD If I did let Shun tell him about what he said, then I don't think he'll be able to talk comfortably with Dan again.

Please review~(8/15/10) (Waah...it's school tomorrow.)


	7. Algebra

7. Algebra

It was quiet in the school...naturally. Why do you ask? Well it was past dismissal for the students already, and most of them would either be at home or practicing sports like soccer. Though...there was one student that was still stuck in the classroom, scribbling on his notebook. It was Dan, and he had to stay because the teacher said so...in a commanding way I might add.

_"Dan Kuso..! You're not going back home until you solve every last question!"_

The brunette groaned loudly. Oh how he hated Algebra...what was the point of learning it anyway..? He would prefer to skip school rather than listen to the woman blabber on and on about random letters and numbers.

"Come on Dan..._focus_. Might as well get this over with." he muttered to himself as he stared at his doodle-filled notebook and the question sheet still on his desk, like it was taunting him that he couldn't answer anything. "Grr...I'll show you..! I'll get all these polynomials right and walk here without a single shred of homework..!"

-o-

"...I give up!" he cried as he threw the question sheet up in the air. Hard to believe he only spent another ten minutes trying to answer it right? Groaning once more over the fact he had to do it or else he wouldn't have enough time to chat with his friends, he was about to pick up the piece of paper until someone else beat him to it. "Shun..?" he shouted, obviously surprised.

The ninja didn't respond, instead he was scanning the paper he just picked up, and sighed. "You can't even solve these Dan?" he mumbled with what Dan guessed was disappointment.

"I-I can! Just give me some time!" the raven-haired boy sighed again and pressed his index finger on this notebook. "Really, Bakugan wouldn't help you this time." he pointed on the drawings of black rectangular gate cards and Bakugan capsules.

"Just leave me alone...you probably have better things to do rather than watch me embarrass myself." a small smirk appeared when the younger boy said those words while he pouted.

"Want me to help you out?" the question hung for about five seconds before Dan replied. "..._fine_." he surrendered the notebook to him, making the elder male grin lightly.

"So what number do you not understand?"

"...four." the brunette still felt uncomfortable that his best friend was teaching him Math of all things. Shun turned to a clean sheet of paper and started to write down the same question.

**(x³y + 3xy² – 4) – (2x³y + xy² + 5)**

"Okay...what was your answer..?"

"...I didn't write one down yet." he could easily see Shun exhale sharply.

"Alright...first thing you would have to do is to change the signs from this one since the operation is subtraction...with that, you'll be able to take out the parenthesis at the sides." he picked up the pencil and began to note down the first step below the equation.

**x³y + 3xy² – 4 – 2x³y – xy² – 5**

"And then you combine the like terms as usual..."

**-x³y + 2xy² – 9**

"And since you can't simplify it further, then that's your answer." he finished.

"You make it sound so easy."

"That's because it is." Shun responded with a smirk. "So do you get it?"

"Y-yeah...thanks." Dan said still feeling slightly embarrassed he had to ask him for help. With the same smile on his face, he left the classroom with his right arm raised up as a goodbye, and then closed the sliding door behind him. The brown-haired boy sighed and glanced back at the worksheet. Only then did he realized something bad…

"Oh man...I probably should have asked how to multiply binomials too."

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**A/N : **...I hate my score in Math I hate my score in Math I absolutely hate it soo much...oh yes, I am sort of ranting. My words to myself for today from the results of the final exams : "I am filled with oodles of self-pity at the moment."

Anyway, while I'm here mumbling about my mistakes, I also hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well...oh yeah, if you think I got the answer wrong, please tell me through review or PM...because I'm too lazy to check if it's right. (8/16/10)

EDIT : I changed the answer because of a little slip...thanks **solitarycloud** for the correction! Man even in my stories I'm still so careless! (8/17/10)


	8. Stomachache

8. Stomachache

"U-ugh...I didn't think it would be this bad..." Shun muttered as he clutched his stomach from the pain. It was sudden, but when the ninja woke up that morning, his stomach started to act up, and before he knew it, the male could barely move without feeling a small amount of suffering every now and then. He had to place a hot pack on his stomach so that the ache will subside...it worked, but it was only suppressing it, not curing it. Even his grandpa said to stay at home rather than to go to school because of this. The raven-haired boy felt terrible...physically and mentally. He had been studying History for the entire time yesterday and that would all go to waste with just one little stomachache.

The boy had no choice but to sit down for nearly the entire morning in one position...which felt like torture to him. He hated it whenever he got sick...it was annoying..._very_ annoying.

At lunch, Shun couldn't eat much either, and the pain gradually worsened. He tried his best to ignore it, but he can't just lie down and sleep it off, since lying down will make his stomach hurt more compared to sitting.

The black-haired boy continued to stare at the clock hanging on the wall of his bed...the seconds ticking, the minute hand moving slowly...the only sound that accompanied the breeze from outside. He assumed it would rain today from the dark cloud above, and the fact that the wind seemed to be picking up. He wondered how his classmates and Dan were doing. Simply put, he was bored out of his mind.

The stillness was broken though when he heard a knock from the door. Good timing he thought, because his grandfather was out at the market, and he need someone to talk to. Struggling, he walked out of his room and down the stairs. He was slow, but the day's rest was able to bring back some of his energy a little compared to the morning. Finally, the ninja grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, half surprised and half not to see who was there standing in front of him.

"Hey Shun! I just came by to-woah...are you okay?"

"Y-yeah...thanks for asking Dan." he said softly, accidentally forgetting the hot pack he dropped on the floor upstairs. The elder male clutched his stomach again, and even fell on his knees from the pain, causing the brunette to go into a panic. The younger boy rapidly carried his friend on his back and brought him to the nearest place he could rest, which would be the second floor where his bed was. Dan had never realized how heavy Shun was for him until he went up the wooden steps...but he couldn't stop now, he had to hurry..!

Stepping in the room, he set the raven-haired boy down, noticed the hot pack on the floor and placed it on top of his body. Dan didn't know if he was imagining it, but he heard a voice coming out of nowhere.

_Thank you for taking care of him..._

"That voice...where did I hear it before..?" he scanned the area for anybody, but it was just the two of them in here...

All of a sudden, Dan noticed that the now unconscious male moved his mouth...but didn't make a sound at all. After that everything was quiet, and the brown-haired boy quickly decided to stay with him until he woke up.

_If he were to guess what he said, Shun just uttered...'mom'._

_

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_**A/N : **Yes, it's weird...I think having a stomachache myself messed up my sense of logic...or sense. Anyway, hope it didn't come out really awful in a way. I still feel a little dizzy...and hungry. (8/17/10)_  
_


	9. Better?

9. Better?

"Shun..?" Dan whispered to the teen since he wasn't sure if he was awake or not. The boy had been sitting on a random chair in the room for about..actually, he had lost count as to how many minutes or hours he had been waiting just for his best friend to wake up. His mind was filled with worry, and he was wondering if he had to ask for help. But the sudden break in the stiff silence calmed him down immediately.

"...ugh." he grunted, which made the younger boy grin in response. "Phew..! For a second there I thought I had to call the hospital or something!"

"...I passed out on the front door didn't I..." the ninja mumbled.

Dan nodded. "You scared me to death you know..! Falling on the floor like that..."

"You were worried?" he questioned, which made the red-eyed boy gasp in shock. "Of course I was..! Why wouldn't I be?" he shouted with an _'Isn't it obvious?'_ tone.

"Sorry...I'm still a little dizzy from waking up..." he said as an excuse. Shun's voice was still soft, but you could sense that he was able to recover a bit. The ninja massaged his forehead so that he could stop his head from spinning; it didn't work. Dan saw that his body was still swaying from sitting up. The brunette hated to see his friend so tired and sick, so he stood up from the wooden chair and lightly pushed him to make him lie down on his bed again. "H-hey..!"

"You still need to rest Shun." he said bluntly, yet it sounded slightly forced when his voice was with the thunder outside. "I'm _fine_ Dan..." he assured as he was about to get up once more, only to be stopped by the younger boy's hand on his chest.

"Don't fake it. Anyway, what happened to you?"

"...you swear you won't laugh at me if I told you?"

"Why would I laugh? Anything that would make you pass out would be something serious right?"

"..."

"What?" he pressed. "C'mon...it's not that embarrassing is it?" his question was answered with Shun's face going red. "Just say it." Dan persisted.

"...stomachache." the raven-haired boy muttered while his face grew even redder. The only sound in the next couple seconds was the rain droplets hitting the ground outside along with the occasional lighting and thunder. "Y-you were...brought down by an upset stomach?" the elder male could easily see that he was trying to swallow his laughter.

"I-I told you not to laugh..!" he shouted indignantly.

"Okay! Okay! I won't..." Dan said while chuckling a little. "So do you know what caused it?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. I was well yesterday...but it started to hurt this morning."

"Maybe you ate something bad?"

"Don't think so...the only thing I ate for dinner last night was some vegetables and rice."

"Oh-kay..? And you're grandfather told you to skip school for today?" a nod. "Shouldn't you be going back home now..?" Shun said, suddenly remembering he said nearly the same thing a couple of days back.

Though this time, Dan didn't move. "Are you kidding me? With a storm like that, I won't be able to leave even if I wanted to." he said with a playful grin. The elder male sighed, at least he had someone to talk to...but was it a good thing it was Dan and not someone else..? Maybe...after all, he was his childhood friend, no matter how different their personalities were.

_He could feel himself getting better...and it could be all thanks to his energetic friend._

_

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_**A/N : **...does singing your heart out to Japanese songs indicate that you have recovered from a stomachache? Well that's what I'm doing at the moment, and my stomach feels much better too. ^ ^

Yay~ Dan and Shun fluff! Please review! (8/17/10)


	10. PE

10. Physical Education

It was that time of school that many of Dan's classmates would hate...Physical Exams. Where as would the teacher would say something about having to bring a towel because you're going to sweat like-...nope, still going to make my stories clean as much as possible.

Anyway, Dan was one of the few who didn't really have a problem. But they said it would be hard this year...a couple laps around the track, wall climbing and all those other things people can think of that would be part of something like this.

The brunette was watching as his classmates would fall flat on their face from exhaustion and the coach blowing the whistle loud in their ears so that they'll get back up again. He exhaled...it didn't seem too hard, but he would have to see for himself.

Out of the blue, a couple of squeals came out not far from where he was. Dan glanced at an area filled with 8th grade students and girls that didn't even belong to that class at all. He had forgotten…Shun's P.E. class was the same time as his. And to his guess, the person that gracefully jumping over the bars would be him. The 7th grader admitted it; the ninja was popular with the girls whenever it came to sports...and sometimes academics as well. Pictured as the awesome cool guy...whatever. Dan didn't really care about that, besides, Shun wasn't the type that would brag about having girls swoon over him. It was the opposite actually; he would prefer not to talk about them at all.

-o-

"Hey Shun." Dan greeted after he was done with his exam. The raven-haired boy finished up drinking some water from the fountain, wiped some of the droplets from his mouth and greeted him back.

"Looks like you captured the hearts of those girls again." he grinned.

"You don't need to remind me about that." the elder male said with a huff.

"So are you feeling a lot better now?"

"Yeah...thanks for your concern." he smiled.

"_Shun-sama~!_"

"What was that?" the younger boy asked after the scream.

"One of those typical fan-girls again..." Shun sighed. "Unless you want to be plummeted by squealing girls like the time with my cousins, I suggest you get back to your class."

"What about you?" Dan asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I'll be fine. The only problem is when they see other people with me...girl or guy."

"A-ah...okay. See ya later then." with a grin, he turned and ran towards the other side of the track where his other classmates were waiting…and as if on time, the girls began to crowd around him, with their sparkly eyes gazing onto his brown ones. "Shun-sama~" one of them started. "Who was that?"

"Him..? Oh, just a friend."

"Are you sure..?" another one piped up. "He looked like a 7th grader. When did you meet him?"

Before Shun was able to make a good lie, one of the other females beat him to it. "He's one of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers as I recall, Dan Kuso was his name."

"You mean that Bakugan weirdo?" another one spoke up. She looked like she was the leader of the group because she seemed to be standing out more than all the rest...in one ways more than one. "Honestly, I don't see anything good in him at all. He's just a guy doesn't seem to know how to treat a gorgeous lady like me compared to my Shun…and also-"

"One more insult to him and you'll never be beautiful again _woman_." Shun cut in with a threatening tone. "Dan is my best friend, nothing more and nothing less. Now if you would excuse me, I have to get to my next class." leaving all the girls in shock, he walked away from the group and headed towards the campus. Even if Dan is all hyper and that...he's still the greatest friend you could ask for.

_Shun wouldn't take an affront to Dan lightly..._

_

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_**A/N : **The title ended up looking weird at the end don't you think? If I wasn't absent today, I was supposed to take the Physical Exams. I have no idea what happened to my classmates, so I made it up with my imagination. Oh and it would be easy to think that Shun would be popular in school don't you think? Imagine him jumping over the bar with that cool and calm expression on his face...aah...eesh, anyway, the fan-girls are also a figment of my imagination, and may or may not appear again. So don't take them seriously okay?

Number 10! *woot*! I like the last line. XD(8/17/10)_  
_


	11. Outsmart

11. Outsmart

There was one thing that Dan hated about Shun. And that was that he was nearly better than him in everything. The only thing he could actually be in equal footing with him would be in Bakugan...and with anything else; he just can't seem to surpass him. So one day, the brunette called his older friend to the hallway the next day at school since he had something to tell him.

That's how the raven-haired boy with his long hair stilled tied to a ponytail with an aqua ribbon ended up waiting for around five minutes standing and waiting on the corridor until the younger boy showed up. Shun was about to greet when whatever Dan said next stopped him. "Kamusta na kaibigan?"

"...Dan, what are you-?"

"Haha! I knew it! You can't speak-"

"_Tagalog_? So what's your point?" the brown-haired boy was surprised how quickly he dismissed the fact that he could do something he can't-wait a sec..!

"Wait, how did you know that I was-?"

"Dahil sa ina ko. Meron siyang isang kaibigan Pilipina na nag-bisita ng bahay natin date...and her son and I used to chat with each other a lot. I picked up their language after some time too so we'll be able to converse easier." he smirked, leaving the younger male gaping in shock.

"B-but..." he stuttered at a loss for words.

"Good luck next time Dan." with that same grin, Shun turned and went farther down the hallway while the brunette was still frozen in place.

_Dan would have to try harder to outsmart his friend._

_

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_**A/N : **My Filipino grammar seriously sucks. XD Please don't try to correct me, because I'm too embarrassed already that my mom would laugh at me about how bad it really is. And yes, it's really short, but I really need to practice my Filipino so...anyway, number 11! 39 more to go! (8/18/10)_  
_


	12. Kite : Bonus Chapter

**A/N : **Why does the title read 'Bonus Chapter'? That's because this story has officially passed the _500 hits_ mark! In just a few days too! *smiles*

Bonus Chapters aren't included in the count to 50 or whatever number I'm aiming for. So you could say that this is an extra chapter...and number 12 will come after. (8/20/10)

* * *

Bonus Chapter - Kite

"Shun! Shun!" the voice called out to a young boy of seven, who turned around and saw his smaller friend running towards him with something big in his hand. "Look what mommy bought me yesterday!" he exclaimed happily as he showed him the rectangular light blue object. "A _kite_?" the raven-haired boy asked as he got the plastic thing from the other male.

"Yeah! Can you help me fly it?" he beamed in excitement as he pointed to the sky above them.

"Are you sure..? Don't kites need the wind to fly?"

"They do?" the younger boy cocked his head skeptically.

"Yes Dan..." he exhaled sharply as he shifted his view to the horizon. "I don't think we can do it today-"

"You can't say that!" the brunette pouted, and then changed his pose to a determined one. "You never know until you try~!" he grinned broadly. Shun sighed, once Dan's got his mind on something, it would be nearly impossible to stop him. So might as well go along with it rather than argue.

With that, the elder boy was positioned at the far end holding the kite while the brown-haired kid was at the other side, clutching the string. They both waited for around three seconds, and then..."Let's go!"

Dan began to run as fast as he could down the hill so that he'll gain speed right after Shun let go off the kite. He forgot though that this was his first time and released the ball of string all too quickly, causing him to get tangled and tumbled down the slope. Following with a loud 'thud' and Shun sprinting there when he heard it. "Dan!"

"Owwie...that hurt..." he muttered, wincing at the large bump on his forehead while sitting on the grass. The black-haired boy sighed in relief as he helped him stand up and let him lean on his shoulder while walking up again. "You alright?"

"L-let's do it again!" he suddenly shouted and ran back to the top of the hill, leaving Shun a little dazed by the outburst. "Yup, he's fine."

-o-

"One more time..!" the child yelled as his friend was still holding the kite at the other end. "Dan..! You have to stop..!" the elder boy shouted back.

"No way! I won't give up yet..!" Shun was worried about him...with all the bruises and scratches he had all over his body, specifically his arms when he fell over and over again. But through the months he's known him, there's always one thing that stuck out in Dan's personality. He's stubborn. _Really_ stubborn.

Once more, the raven-haired boy released the plastic object from his grip and saw it fly a little higher than before, which got the brunette's spirit up as he ran. Up and up the kite went, until Dan finally stopped at the bottom of the hill without stumbling, and slowly let the string fly with the kite. "We did it..!" he proclaimed joyfully as he gazed at it moved farther on the sky. Shun joined him, and soon they took turns in handling the kite. At some point, Dan actually slept on the grass, with the elder boy smiling at him.

_Anything is possible with determination...Dan just proved that to him in a smaller way._


	13. Celebration : Birthday Special

12. Celebration - Birthday Special

Shun didn't expect his birthday to hit him so quickly...

It was a breezy afternoon when the raven-haired teen realized this. He had never told anyone about this though as far as he could remember. Every year he would normally celebrate it with his mom or his grandfather...just a simple celebration. It was nothing grand...but Shun recalled how much his mom would work harder just to buy the cake for them. That memory made him a little depressed...

Shun had lost his mom when she fell into a disease. The doctors couldn't cure her...and well, she's up there in heaven now...

Skyress sadly couldn't reach his birthday, and left before the Bakugan could have joined in. The ninja sighed..."Birthdays aren't important anyhow...it's just a sign you're growing older...and that's all." he muttered. Yet maybe at least just once in his life it would be nice to celebrate his own day with his friends.

The raven-haired male jumped from the roof he was sitting on and landed easily on the cement road. As if on cue, someone bumped in to him with a huge amount of force, causing Shun to tumble on the ground. "Ouch-!"

"Sorry Shun! Maybe that was a little too hard." a familiar voice piped up. Blinking a few times, the teen could see it was his childhood friend, Dan..."As usual." he added while rubbing his arm to ease the pain.

"Hmph. Anyway, can you come to my house today? As in right now?" he asked.

"Why..?"

"You don't seem like you're busy with anything." the brunette responded while beaming.

"So?"

"Enough with the questions, let's go!" unexpectedly for the elder male, Dan suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him across the street with a lot of power. From there on out Shun couldn't do anything until they arrived at the destination..."Well, he was right about me being bored at least." he muttered.

-o-

Finally, the younger teen stopped right in front of the gate to his house. Shun massaged the part that Dan gripped so tightly while the other walked towards the door. "Come on Shun!"

"Okay okay..." he replied while trotting past the silver gate and standing beside his friend. With an even bigger grin, he slowly opened the brown door and led him inside the living room.

And that's when all of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers jumped from their places and shouted 'Happy Birthday!' in unison.

"W-whaa..?"

"You didn't think I wouldn't know when you're birthday was Shun?" Dan smiled. The ninja couldn't do anything but stay stunned. A birthday celebration? For _him_?

"Don't pretend you didn't find out till a few days ago Dan!" a light-blue haired girl shouted while hitting his head with her fist. "Ouch..! Runo, that hurts!" the others were laughing lightly as they were looking at the duo.

"Dan was the one that prepared everything-" Marucho grinned. "And he went through all the trouble to call us to come here too!" Julie added.

"Happy 14th Birthday Shun..!" Alice grinned as well.

The raven-haired boy didn't know what to say...simply put, he was at a loss for words. He had never predicted something like this..."T-thanks...everyone..." a small smile appeared as tiny tears formed in his eyes. But the small droplets swiftly vanished when the brunette tackled him again from behind. "Well? Do you like it?" he questioned while one of his arms was hung over his shoulder. Shun nodded and showed him his smile, which was already enough for Dan to know he was happy.

"The cake's ready everyone~!" another voice came out from the kitchen. Dan's mom then came out with a two-layered light brown cake with white cream at the edges and fourteen striped candles in a circle. Everyone sang for Shun before he blew the candles and they all cheered.

_Shun doesn't need a wish...he has all he needs right here._

_

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_**A/N : **Awww...fluff! XD Yay, something I can go 'so cute!' on! I made this one simply because it's my brithday on the 25th...which is tomorrow. Though I never had a surprise birthday party before...sad. Anyway, I would be super happy if you reviewed...you know, as a birthday present!...I suddenly realized I'm turning the same age Shun is in this chapter. *laughs* (8/24/10)_  
_


	14. Plushie : Bonus Chapter

Bonus Chapter is for a thousand hits and over twenty reviews~ Cool~ It's like the second highest hit story in my list...the first being Land and Knight. XD

* * *

Bonus Chapter - Plushie

Shun was in a lighter mood now...ever since the surprise he had been presented yesterday. It was great...even with no gifts or anything like that. He won't be forgetting those moments in a very long time...

Today was Sunday, and since he was in Dan's house the entire day, he didn't get a head start in his homework. The raven-haired boy sighed...they weren't kidding when they said the 8th grade would give you the most assignments to do. Before it was normal for days in there was nothing to do...but now, there has to be a least one or two things he had to finish before the day ended...or else he'll suffer the consequences the next day. The ninja wasn't a slacker compared to his best friend, but the sheer amount of homework occasionally kills his free time to relax.

The teen was walking down the street when he noticed a certain brunette standing in front of a store...a sewing shop to be exact...which was the event in itself, strange. What would the overly hyper and stubborn Dan's reason be to be staring at a place filled with strings, needles, and buttons?

Shun decided to act stealthy for the meantime to see what were the younger male's intentions of being there. The 7th grader seemed to be thinking about something hard...his hand touching his lip made it more obvious. After a few more seconds, Dan went in.

"Huh...this should be interesting." the ninja muttered as he continued to wait. Time was something he still had; he can put aside school work for now. This was one thing he just had to see.

Soon, the same brown-haired boy came out of the store with a light brown bag in his right hand nearly making contact on the hard cement ground. Dan looked a little embarrassed holding it while he looked left and right. He then turned, walked down the street, and broke into a run, clutching the thin strap tighter than before. Shun smirked, whatever he was doing, the younger male didn't like it one bit. It was amusing for the teen to see his childhood friend so flustered. In public no less.

Still, he hasn't figured out why he needed to buy some items in that shop. Maybe his mom told him to do an errand? That sounded logical, but he had never heard of Dan doing favors...

Shun chose to follow him on his way home.

-o-

The raven-haired boy now stood in front of the gate he had just passed through yesterday. It felt a little awkward...he had never been to Dan's house this often. No matter, at least there was a pretty good reason why he had to. Shun built some strength in his legs and jumped, landing effortlessly on his friend's red roof. The ninja had discovered this before without telling any of the Kusos...that there was a small trap-door in the top of the house that he could easily sneak into the attic level. The teen practically memorized it by now as to where its location was…his favorite way to surprise Dan whenever he wanted day or night. The expression was still priceless every time, followed by a couple of stuttered words. _'H-how did you get in here..?'_

Shun laughed, but he was using the trap-door for a different reason, and he had to stay quiet. This was no time for him to be discovered.

The black-haired male swiftly and smoothly slipped in and lightly touching the floor. He then went down the stairs as rapidly as he could...avoiding even the smallest creak. Soon, he was merely crouching on one of the steps on the stairway to the lowest floor. Dan seemed to be there with someone, and usually it was just them...his mom and he. If there was someone else in the house, it would have been his dad. Shun would have been caught off guard if one of the brawlers or his classmates came in here.

Inching further, the ninja was finally able to hear some parts of their conversation as well as see them. They were sitting on the couch...with their bodies turned, so he couldn't see what the younger boy was working on. "You're doing well Daniel..." a voice came out. Shun was sure of it, it was Mrs. Kuso.

"Do you think Shun's going to like it..?" the brunette responded. The teen was stunned, why were they talking about _him_..?

"Of course he'll like your birthday gift. Yet I'm surprised that you're so serious about making it yourself." his mom smiled. Shun stayed silent, but he was so tempted to just ask what Dan was crafting in the first place. Birthday gift..? He didn't ask for one at all...and still he went through all the trouble...

"I didn't think I would ever try to pick up a needle...but it sounded cool when I thought about it. Whoever knew making a stuff toy was so hard..."

"Especially when you're trying to make it look like Skyress." she added.

"Yeah..." he beamed. "But I really want to give it to him tomorrow, so I have to be sure it'll look great..!"

All of a sudden, Dan heard a couple of footsteps. But it was faint, so he thought he was imagining it...unknowingly to him that Shun was so shocked that he was trying to create a Skyress plushie just for him that he nearly blew his cover. The ninja was already at the top of the roof again, panting from the swift movement he just did...and the fear of being caught. He then took a few deep breaths and gazed at the sky. "Dan...you really know how to make something special don't you?" he murmured.

_Sure enough, the next day at school, there was a stuff toy that looked like a green phoenix on top of Shun's seat...with a tag attached to it reading 'Happy Birthday Shun! -From your best friend, Dan'_

_

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_**A/N : **This is the longest chapter so far in the series...around 1,000 words. Just like why this is a bonus chapter too! Hahaha...weird. Anyway, yay~ more fluff. So cute~

Though I can't really imagine the Skyress Plushie that well. XD Hehehe...Shun likes it when Dan gets flustered without him noticing. Please Review~


	15. Butterflies

13. Butterflies

"Shun, look!" the seven-year-old boy pointed at the small insect that was fluttering close to one of the yellow sunflowers.

"A butterfly..." the raven-haired male muttered as his eyes followed where it flew. Dan seemed mesmerized by it too, since he was simply gazing at the field of flowers in front of him rather than talking. The both of them were sitting under the shade of a large tree...and with the wind lightly blowing every now and then, the scene was almost perfect...perfectly _peaceful_.

The bug's light blue wings seem to sparkle under the sunlight and it just went to one blossom to another, as if with no care in the world. "Hey Shun..?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you catch a butterfly?" the brunette asked. The elder child looked at him for a few moments and turned back to the colorful meadow. "You can, but it's a little tricky."

"Really?" it's as if those words made him more energetic than usual. Shun knew where this was going..."Show me..!"

"O-okay..." he sighed. The elder male scanned the area for a resting animal and spotted a purple color butterfly further in the group of pink tulips. Trying to be as quiet as he could, Dan watched as Shun slowly crept towards it. You could only see the small antenna part of his black hair sticking out of the flowers as he inched his way closer to his specified target. He was barely a couple of centimeters away when...

"Got it." he smiled as he held his prize. Shun was using his index finger and thumb to hold the wings of the purple butterfly and to make sure it wouldn't move yet. "Cool~!" the younger boy exclaimed as he ran towards his friend to take a better look. The to-be ninja gradually released the insect, fluttering away from the two humans to find its next meal. "Now it's my turn!"

The brunette swiftly dropped his head and started to move around using his arms around the field. Shun decided to rest under the shade...for he had a feeling Dan would take a while for him to actually get near enough to a butterfly before it would fly away.

-o-

The raven-haired boy didn't know how long it has been, but somehow he fell asleep while leaning on the trunk of the tree while waiting. "Shun! Shun!" opening one eye in slight annoyance, he saw his friend running to him with a broad grin on his face. It looked like there was something in his grasp...but only when he was close to him he found out what he was waving around. "D-dan! L-let it go!" he shouted.

"Why?"

"Do it!" the younger child did as he said, and the tiny butterfly that was he was holding staggered away, looking seriously dizzy. Whoever knew they could get dizzy?

"Oops...maybe I shook it too much." he smiled sheepishly.

"Next time...be more careful okay?"

"Hehe...I'll try."

_At least Shun was always there to remind him what's right and wrong._

_

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_**A/N : **I remember sitting on the grass with my cousins when the eldest, Nika asked my little sister to catch a buttefly. We began to chat until she started to yell her name and shaking her arms around. When my sister showed us what she got, Nika screamed _'Gabby let it go!'_ and the insect flew away in a zig-zag motion, as if dizzy. Haha...that's where I got it from. XD

Number 13~Please Review~ (8/29/10)


	16. Balloon

14. Balloon

Today Dan bought something from a person who was selling things in the park road.

And also the same day Shun was given a balloon from the same person.

"Here Shun!" the brunette gave it to him with such a big smile that it was too hard to say no or even question why he got one in the first place. So the raven-haired boy found himself with a string tied around his wrist and a light green balloon floating right beside him. He had no idea why his young friend chose that color, but Dan said something like _'I think this color will mean a lot to you soon!'_ or something of the sort. Shun sighed...him and his random TV shows...

The two were walking on the cement path and watching what everyone else was doing...somehow the both of them got separated from their moms, so now they were both concentrated on finding them. The park wasn't as huge as you think, but since Dan was around six and Shun being seven, the place was like a maze filled with grass, trees, and people. Mostly people.

The elder child was also trying his best to loosen the knot that was tied to his hand since the brunette was the one that did it in the first place...and man it was tight. Pulling it while using his two fingers, he accidentally sent the green balloon flying up. Fortunately he was under the tree, so the helium-filled thing was stopped by a thick branch.

The next problem, how are they going to get it?

"S-sorry Dan..." he muttered to himself; feeling guilty about losing his present from his friend. "I don't think we'll be able to get it-"

"Shun, help me out here!" the raven-haired boy realized he was talking to air instead and saw that the younger child was in front of the big trunk. "Give me a boost-up..!"

"_What_?" he questioned incredulously. "Are you serious about getting the balloon back?"

"Of course~!" he beamed. The elder male sighed, but agreed to the plan anyway. Kneeling down with his arms and knees on the grass, he braced himself for Dan to step on him and grab a hold on the tree. When the brown-haired boy put one step on his back, Shun grunted a bit. He was heavier than he previously thought..!

Finally Dan was able to get to the top of the tree, leaving his friend huffing from his weight. With a little effort, the brunette was clutching on the string of his gift to Shun. "I got it!"

"That's great-!" the raven-haired boy started until he noticed something. "So Dan...how are you going to get down?" he asked; hoping he actually had a plan.

As he expected, the kid cringed on the trunk when he said this..."You don't have any idea...don't you?" all he could do was nod, because he seemed frozen in fear.

While Shun was puzzling over what to do, the brown-haired boy was trembling, and somehow lost his footing on where he was crouching on. "_W-waah_!"

"_Dan_-!"

_*thud*_...

"Ugh...that hurt..." the brown-haired boy muttered. For some reason, he felt he was sitting on something warm...and soft-"Shun!" he quickly and swiftly got off his best friend who was sprawled on the ground, groaning how painful the fall was and how heavy his friend was too. "Are you okay?" he yelled in fright and worry.

"Y-yeah...I'm fine..." he mumbled while trying to sit up. His body somehow got numb from the fall and could barely move around without falling face-first on the dirt again. Shun was able to show a small smirk to him though. "It's a good thing I was able to get you right..?" the elder boy's said while his voice was slightly shaky.

"You don't look _okay_..." Dan muttered as he tried to assist him in standing; placing Shun's arm over the brunette's shoulder for support. All of a sudden, they both heard familiar voices coming towards them. The pair saw it was their moms...and they looked really worried too. After hearing the loud thump from the raven-haired boy's fall, they rushed to the source as soon as possible. Thankfully, he was okay, and he just needed to rest.

_Dan didn't know how he would be _fine _without Shun always there for him._

_

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_**A/N : **Aww...Shun saved Dan from his fall. XD Haha...anyway...not much, it just came to my mind is all...oh, and what Dan said was kind of cute...the one where he said that 'green' will mean a lot to him someday. Strangely enough, it will. They just don't know it yet. ^ ^

Please Review~Number 14! And just before the month ends too! (8/31/10)


	17. Book

15. Book

"Personal Legend..." the brunette murmured to himself as he continued to read the seemingly thin book in his hands. On the cover was a picture of what looked like a desert, and in the middle was the silhouette of a castle...a big one at that. Dan didn't know how long he had been sitting down on the wooden chair in his classroom reading, but he felt so immersed in it that he felt he could have been lost in it forever trying to understand its complexity...in a way. The boy understood the words that came in to his mind, but how to make sense of it all...he wasn't sure. "The Soul of the World...does such things exist..?" he mumbled further. Suddenly realizing how deep his thoughts were, he shook his head in desperation. "W-what am I thinking..?" the brown-haired boy then placed the book down and glanced at the clock. "Woah...it's five already..?" he gasped in surprise. He had been puzzling over it for an hour after he had finished it. That rarely ever happens...actually, this would be his first.

Dan was still on his seat inside the classroom with his bag and other belongings on the floor. He was the only one still there...everyone else had left to their houses and all that. How did he get so attached to that little book..? He only borrowed it from a classmate of his because it looked interesting. And now...

Out of the blue, the sound of the door echoed in the empty room, shocking him. And then the person that he somehow expected stood right there..."S-shun..."

"You're still here?" he asked in a mild tone.

"Y-yeah..." the raven-haired boy then noticed the lone book on his desk. He walked inside and picked it up without a word, only speaking when he read the back. "The Alchemist...I didn't know you were interested in these kinds of things..."

"T-that's because I lent it from my friend...it's not mine."

"I see..." the room was silent afterward until Shun broke it. "You read the whole thing?"

"Yep...though it's really deep...and I don't really understand what the Soul of the World is..." the elder male smirked and muttered to him. "Neither do I. But all I know is that...you can't give up no matter what. The hardest parts in life...are when we have to smile all the way...not only for everyone around you, but for yourself as well."

"...did you rehearse that or something?" a light laugh escaped from the raven-haired boy.

"No...that's just how I feel whenever I look at this story." his expression seemed relaxed and peaceful, as if remembering a good memory. "Anyhow, you have to get home. It's getting late."

"Right...I'll see you tomorrow then." and that's when they went their separate ways for the day.

_Sometimes...he just can't understand what goes through Shun's mind._

_

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_**A/N : **I-I did borrow the book from my classmate...the one written by Paulo Coelho...haha. Strange what things can do to you right? I wrote this after a few minutes of finishing the book, so that's the reason why it makes no sense. Seriously...it's so deep...and all that...

I don't expect you to review this one. *laughs* (9/2/10)


	18. Ghost

16. Ghost

It was a supposed normal day at school...with the sun at its peak and showing everyone in the entire solar system how strong its rays were, and all that other stuff people would probably take for granted. Anyway, Shun was just simply eating his lunch under the tree away from the crowds when he spotted the brunette from afar. Strangely he looked less energetic than usual, and swayed left and right when he walked. Taking the last bit of rice from his lunch box, he placed it on the grass to see what was up with him. "Dan..?"

"Oh...hey Shun." he smiled weakly. Shun quickly sensed there was something off. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? O-oh...nothing..." Dan said while stifling a yawn. The ninja then noticed he had small eye bags under his eyes. "Not sleeping well?"

"N-no..! It's just..." the brown-haired boy would have fallen on the ground if it were not Shun catching him. "You're not getting enough rest." the raven-haired boy finished.

The younger child tried to cover another yawn, but he knew he couldn't keep it from his friend. "Mind telling me the reason?" the fifth-grader asked.

"No way!" the fourth-grader suddenly shouted despite the little energy he had.

"Why not?"

"Because it's embarrassing." the brunette muttered while looking away; his face going red. "So?"

The calmness in his voice made Dan give in. "F-fine...I'll tell you. But don't say a word to anyone else okay?"

"'Course...now what's the matter?" the younger boy still had trouble speaking the words that will shatter his reputation like a bullet passes through glass. "...t-there's a ghost in my room." the next seconds were pure silence until Shun had made sense of what he just said. "You were actually..._scared_?"

"Y-you don't know how it feels like listening to the scratching noises and seeing shadows come out of nowhere on the wall!" the brunette cried. "A-and then they also move the stuff around the room too...I'm positive there's something in there!" again, the two of them were quiet, but only Dan was uncomfortable with it. Out of the blue the raven-haired boy laughed, which made the other male angry. "I-it's not funny!"

"Sorry...it's just...well, I didn't think you couldn't sleep over some sounds and all..." his chuckle then faded and he was now his brown eyes stared at Dan's red ones. "Did you check it out at least?"

The brunette didn't respond. "Yeah...that's what I thought." Shun muttered. "Tell you what; I'll check it for you tonight."

"Really?" he looked happy or relieved, but then his expression changed. "Wait...you just want to make me look like a fool don't you?"

"And why would I ever do that?" the both of them recalled a random memory..."Don't worry, I'm doing this for a different reason." the ninja mumbled after they both sighed for opposite reasons.

-o-

Fortunately, Shun's grandpa allowed him to sleep over at his friend's house that day. That was good; because that was normally the most annoying obstacle they had whenever Dan and he wanted to get together. Mrs. Kuso was always happy to have the raven-haired boy around. It made him miss his own mom sometimes...

The day passed by quickly, and soon it was already ten. As Dan would say, this was usually the time when the noises would start, so they closed everything in the room and the only thing the elder male was holding was a flashlight. Shun admitted he was a little nervous about what was he about to find, but he had to put up a brave face. After all...his friend was trembling behind him while both of his hands were clutching on his shirt. The fourth-grader didn't seem to care how humiliating it was to do such...all he thought of is what was keeping him up at night. Even in his age, his first guess was a huge monster that would try to gobble them up.

The pair ventured in to the attic where as if the sounds grew louder, resulting in Dan clenching the person near him tighter. Shun clicked the flashlight on and began to scan the area around. The Kusos didn't have a lamp or anything for the top floor, so it looked really scary at night since there was no light inside.

Suddenly, the elder male noticed a movement under the dusty crimson carpet. There was something sticking out in there...he was sure of it. The ninja swiftly shone the flashlight on the spot, causing it to scurry away. But in that split second he was able to see what he guessed was a tail. "What was that?" the brunette asked; his voice filled with fear.

"I'm not sure...all I know is that it's an animal." that didn't help Dan much at all.

The both of them walked in further when they heard a sound that they did not expect at all. It sounded like a...a..."_Cat_?" the younger male guessed in surprise.

"More like a kitten."

The small meow then turned into more than one, and when they found out where they were hiding, all they could do was stare.

In front of them were three adorable kittens. All of them had fluffy white fur with black spots, and they all looked like they haven't eaten in days. One of them seemed injured, and the other one was licking it. Shun went closer to them, making the three run back to a corner. But the raven-haired boy didn't waver, he just outstretched his hand to them, and one gradually took a few steps closer. He then began to pet it, which made the kitten purr in delight. The other two joined in and were soon surrounding the fifth-grader.

Dan couldn't do anything but watch as his friend befriended those cats with no problem at all. After that, they brought them down and explained the situation to Mrs. Kuso. The three kittens would be sent to a friend of theirs tomorrow since coincidentally, she was looking for a new pet for her kids.

So now that the case of the ghost was solved, the two boys were preparing to sleep when Shun muttered something. "In a way, you were frightened of three little harmless animals." he smirked.

"You don't need to rub it in." the brunette replied.

_Dan was able to sleep and dream well that night._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **The idea isn't mine to be honest, it's from **solitarycloud**...she told me about it and well...yeah. Here it is. I was kind of lazy for this one...

Please Review...number 16...34 more to go...yay...(9/3/10)


	19. Awkwardness

17. Awkwardness

_What would you consider a memorable moment?_

Dan knew he was going to be late and the teacher would probably get mad at him for the third time or something...he lost count. But he can't let that bother him now, Shun has his homework! Yes, you may think that the brunette would do it himself, yet the questions seemed unreal for a third-grader to solve, so his older friend volunteered to try it out himself. After all, it seemed like a good challenge as he had said. The child couldn't ask his parents to help him out nor his classmates. Even though Dan was bad at Math, he was actually great in Science, and it would be embarrassing for him to receive a couple of questions that he wouldn't know at all. Shun was one year higher than he was, and he was his best friend too...so he brought the papers home and answered it, and said that he can get it back the next day in school before classes start.

But the brunette didn't think he would over-sleep.

"Come on...almost...there..!" he muttered to himself as he kept on running to his large house. The brown-haired boy was panting hard, but he had to get those papers. He just had to. Even though they agreed to get it at school, he couldn't help but feel anxious, and decided to make a surprise visit early in the morning. The boy didn't stop to think whether Shun had already left or not. In a nutshell, he wasn't thinking straight and the only thing he was focusing on was his assignment.

Finally, he was able to reach the front door of his house, resting on his knees first before he knocked on the door three times. Dan then soon heard a couple of steps; rushed ones. And then when the door opened, all they could do was stare at each other.

To be honest, the brunette had never seen his friend so...so...well, he couldn't think of the word. But what caught his attention was Shun's messy long, black hair that hasn't been tied yet, the green toothbrush in his mouth, the towel wrapped on his neck and dangling on his shoulders, a black mug he was holding and his free hand was on the wooden door.

"What...are you doing here?" the elder male was able to utter out after the brief silence.

"W-well...I was hoping to see my homework in case there was a mistake." he smiled bashfully while rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

"...I told you to wait at school." Dan couldn't reply, rather he was still staring at him. "You look like you just woke up."

"That's because I over-slept. Now, can you go back to school? I think you're teacher will get mad if you're late."

"What about you?"

"I can get there quicker than you, so you better get a head start."

"O...okay..." and with that, the raven-haired boy closed the door. Yet Dan didn't move an inch for a few seconds before he was able to snap back and walk away.

"Well...that was weird."

_For Dan, the most strange and awkward moments are the most memorable ones._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **I know...it's really weird and random. But this is what happened to my friend when I arrived early. And then we were laughing how awkward it was when she opened the door and saw me there. I couldn't afford to pass it up for Dan and Shun. XD

Please Review as always~ (9/7/10)


	20. Sympathy

18. Sympathy

Dan stretched his arms up high while yawning loudly. He was sitting on his wooden brown desk inside his classroom while waiting for the next teacher to come. His other classmates were standing up talking to others, some were reading a book or sleeping, others were trying to keep the noise down a little. Everything felt pretty normal for all of them. It was supposed to be a normal day when the brunette heard something he did not expect. "Someone passed away this morning." one whispered.

"Really..? _Who_?" the two who were listening to the person looked really curious about the matter.

"I dunno, but I heard it's a girl senior..." Dan couldn't help but scoot a little closer to hear more. Senior huh? At least it wasn't somebody he knew.

"It's sad...she was hospitalized with some kind of disease for a full month and died this morning..." his classmate continued.

"That explains why I saw someone crying in the hallway...man...now I feel really bad..." another muttered.

The brown-haired boy thought to himself. "Should I feel sad too?"

-o-

It was lunch time when Dan was able to get out of the campus and walk around the garden. Class was quieter than usual awhile ago...it's like the news spread so fast, that it somehow shifted the atmosphere. Most of them tried their hardest not to smile, which made his skin crawl. It's like he just came out of a ghost town. Nobody wanted to recite no matter how easy the questions were. The teacher knew about it too, the male could see it in his eyes. But he had to continue teaching...

The boy was deep in thought about her death when he accidentally bumped into someone. "Oww!" he winced as he rubbed his head.

"Ouch...watch where-oh, it's you Dan." the brunette recognized that voice anywhere. "Sorry...Shun...I was..."

"You heard about it too huh..." the raven-haired boy said with a sigh. "That's life for you...anything can happen at the most unexpected moment." the two were silent as they watched the leaves sway on the branches of the trees planted surrounding the school. Today seemed like the perfect time to relax on a hill since the sun was covered by the clouds. It was windy too, so the cool air would refresh anyone...yet at the moment would be the worst timing for that.

"Shun..." he started. "Should I...feel bad..?"

"You mean to sympathize with the person? I think so...because you'll probably feel guilty if you don't."

"But how can I _'sympathize'_ with her family members and friends? Isn't that impossible since I don't know her?" the ninja exhaled as he caught a wafting leaf with his hand. "You probably can't understand their true feelings, but it would be best to reflect on this...and make yourself a better person." he uttered while twirling the leaf with his fingers.

"Why do you always have some kind of wise advice to say to me?" Dan asked.

"Because..." Shun let the leaf ride on the breeze again and they both watched it go farther and farther away. The brunette watched him as he thought of something to say. It was kind of funny for him to see the cool, calm and collected freshman tongue-tied.

Out of the blue, the bell rang, signaling all of them to return for the afternoon classes to start. "Saved by the bell." the black-haired male mumbled to himself with a small smirk.

"I'll tell you next time Dan. We have to go." the younger boy slightly pouted since he was able to avoid answering the question. Yet he felt a little better now, at least he had something to go on for the rest of the day.

_Before entering the building, he wished for the girl's loved ones to recover and for the senior herself to be at peace._

_

* * *

_**Angelica Dy ~ 1993 to September 8, 2010**

**A/N : **You thought I was making this up didn't you? Well I didn't, and she will be dearly missed by all her classmates, batch mates, family, and the entire High school Department. I found out just awhile ago in school and I really wanted to show something to her...even though I don't know her at all. I also don't know if I spelled her name right.

Today was supposed be Mother Mary's birthday (I am a Catholic)...and Teacher's Day too...plus the birthday for some people in the school. *saddened*

So...if you want to show sympathy to her too, please mention it with the button below. Thank you. (9/8/10)


	21. OFWs

19. OFWs

**OFWs** = **O**verseas **F**ilipino **W**orkers?

It was a normal and usual day at the cafeteria, where everyone was sitting on the provided chairs and chatting with their friends. Dan never really liked the place, but today he accidentally forgot his food at home. At this point, it's either he would buy some with his emergency money or go throughout the afternoon starving.

Of course, he chose the first.

The brunette was lining up along with the other fourth and fifth graders getting their lunch. He wondered if Shun was around...at least he wouldn't feel so lost. Yes, he had been avoiding this place as much as possible. The boy wasn't used to the numerous crowds and all the noise. His fingers gripped the plastic red tray tighter as he approached the serious-looking cafeteria lady. "I'll...get a hamburger, some French fries and ice tea." she gave him all he had said, and Dan gave her the cash.

As soon as he was away from the line and sat in front of an empty table, he exhaled in relief. The brunette didn't like that woman one bit. It gave him the creeps...

The fourth grader stared at his food in boredom, and decided to eat it before it gets cold. But man...he felt really uncomfortable in here. He can't go out and eat on the grass with the sunshine above him because he wasn't allowed to in the first place. Like...you have to eat it here, or you get detention. Something like that. "Ugh...what am I supposed to do?" he muttered as he took a small bite out of the burger.

All of a sudden he had an idea. A really bad and evil thought. Taking a few fries from the carton, he ate one and threw three others to some random guy walking along with a tray. The boy who was hit was clearly startled, and dropped what he was holding on the floor; his food badly messed up. And then the guy slipped on a random puddle and fell face-flat on his lunch. Dan tried his best to stifle his laughter or else he'll get caught. Though it probably didn't matter anyway, everyone in the room was also laughing from the event...

Until the brown-haired boy realized who he hit. "_Dan_..!" out of the blue, Shun grabbed some of his spaghetti and threw it right on his face. Now both of them were covered in sauce...

Suddenly a random guy stood up from his seat and had a burger with mayonnaise. "FOOD FIGHT!" he yelled as the fifth-grader chucked his food to a girl who was peacefully reading a book. That must have ticked her off, because she was reaching for some milk on the table. She then hurled it, but it smacked another person instead. Now everybody was grabbing whatever they had and flinging it at each other. Unbelievably the cafeteria lady was also throwing the food on the containers at students with a big grin on her face. Dan was chucking more of his fries and his burger while Shun was trying to evade as much projectiles as possible, but epically failed.

One of them even got hit on the stomach and pretended to faint, only to clutch whatever he found on the floor and hurled it on someone's face. Once they saw that, others attempted the same tactic, and ended up being successful in hitting more students.

"STOP!" a voice echoed in the cafeteria. All of the students turned their attention to the entrance, some still with food in their hands. "You guys...are all acting like barbarians! All of you must cease this brutal activity!" everyone was silent for a few seconds; not even a single murmur broke out.

"Well..." Dan started while tossing another burger in his right palm. "You have a lot of confidence to say such a thing." then he shifted his view to everyone. "Let's show him how _barbaric_ it is."

The sixth grader that came in to the chaotic room did not like the sneers he was receiving...not one bit. "GO!"

Basically, the poor courageous boy ran out of the campus covered in ketchup, mayonnaise, spaghetti sauce, and anything else you can think of.

The fun lasted till the bell rang, signaling everyone had to go to class. They were going to enjoy the expressions of their teachers later...even though they would probably get detention soon.

**OFWs** = **O**verdramatic **F**ood **W**ars

* * *

**A/N :** Yes...it is utterly random isn't it? The first line above is what OFWs normally refer too. I was so bored at school awhile ago I that I was playing with acronyms and for some reason, the word 'Food Fight' kept coming to my head...I know Dan and Shun weren't mentioned as much, but you still have to give him credit for starting the mess right?

This is one of my most favorite ones...don't you agree? Shun epically failed in avoiding flying food. XDD Oh yeah, please review! (9/9/10)


	22. Names

20. Names

Shun knew that Dan was the type to get bored easily, but the raven-haired boy was still puzzled why the hyperactive brunette would take up _story-writing_...of all things. "What are you doing?" he had asked on that day when the younger boy scribbled on a clean sheet of paper.

"I'm writing a story!" he replied; not even looking up to see his friend's head hovering over him.

"Really? I never knew you were interested." Dan just stared at him, and it took a few seconds before Shun realized why. "I-I mean...I never knew you _liked _this sort of thing." the brunette smiled. At least he was trying to follow what he told him when they became friends.

"So what's your story about?" the elder male asked while trying to see what he was writing.

"About a guy." the brown-haired boy responded.

"And..?"

"...I haven't done much with it yet." Shun replied with a simple 'oh' and the pair were silent for a few moments. "...can I see?"

"Okay." and with that Dan handed him the piece of paper. The raven-haired boy noticed that there wasn't much written on it, but he already realized something was off. "_Dan_..?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are all the characters named Bob?" the brunette just showed him a toothy grin. "'Cuz it sounds funny!" Shun exhaled sharply, giving the younger boy the sign that he didn't like the joke one bit. "Dan, even if these are only just for fun, please change the name when you show me this again alright?"

"Okay okay..._sheesh_." he pouted. The raven-haired boy walked away from his seat, and then Dan had an idea.

-o-

The next morning before class started, Dan was clutching the paper in his hand while scanning around looking for his friend. He had the story all right; he just needed to find the person he was going to show it to. The brunette then spotted him nearby, and tried to call his attention.

"Shun!" he called as he ran towards him. The black-haired boy quickly noticed his named being shouted and turned to him. He waited for Dan to get to him and didn't move. The child was out of breath and resting on his knees when he caught up with him, but that didn't stop him for very long.

"Let me guess, you have it." a nod. "Here!" he gave the sheet to him and Shun began to read it.

"_Dan_..?"

"Yes?" from the tone in his friend's voice, he knew he was going to be asked something...that would slightly humiliate him. He had experienced that before, and has somehow gotten used to it.

"You're not good in coming up with names aren't you?"

All Dan could do was smile sheepishly back.

_It wasn't his fault that the name he used was Shun's instead of something else…_

_

* * *

_**A/N : **I'm really sorry I haven't updated for so long! Anyway, I'm back! And have six ideas already in my head..!...I just haven't wrote them down yet. This is the first of the six that my friends and I thought of while we were talking and...yeah, you'll be surprised with one of 'em. Don't blame me, blame my friend with temper issues!

Please Review~ by the way, the 'Bob' thing was inspired by my little sister. She just loves using that name. XDD (9/17/10)


	23. Words

21. Words

In the few days that Dan has known him, he had always noticed something...peculiar about his newfound friend. "Shun, how come you always use hard words?" the brunette asked while walking a few steps ahead of him. They were both headed to the younger boy's house to play, and the raven-haired boy was being his usual quiet self.

"_Hard_..? I don't understand..." he replied.

"Like like...you always say something...something _weird_." Dan couldn't find the right word to describe what he was saying, but the elder child seemed to have caught on. "You mean I have a larger vocabulary than you have?"

"You did it again!" the brunette shouted while pointing accusingly at him.

"Wh-what did I do?" Shun asked; startled.

"You have to at least try to...uhm...make your words easier to understand!"

"Why do I have to do that?"

"Because...because we're friends!" the raven-haired boy was at a loss for words...mostly since he was surprised at Dan's reasoning. He probably had no idea what to say and uttered out what was the first thing that came in to his mind. But this..? It's like the oldest trick in the book of 'Most Cliché Lines' or something. Yet Shun was a little touched all the same. The brunette considered him his 'friend', and sometimes you have to sacrifice what you like just for them to make them happy...at least, that's what he heard from somewhere. This situation would match it perfectly.

"Okay...I'll...try to use simpler words..." he mumbled to him.

"Really?" the elder kid nodded. "Promise?" Dan pressed while showing his pinky finger; a serious expression on his face.

Though Shun seemed confused about the whole thing. "What are you doing?"

"You don't know how to pinky swear?" he was answered by a cock of the head. "Just put your pinky finger out and do it like this..." the younger boy wrapped his finger around his, and shook on it. "There, that's how you do it."

"I...I never knew you have to do this in promising something."

"Well, it's common stuff, so you have to get used to it okay?"

"A-alright."

_As they always say, "Friends learn from each other."_

_

* * *

_**A/N : **The second in the list of ideas I have from my friends. This is supposed to follow the first one...sort of. If you can remember, Dan made Shun promise something in the previous chapter, and this is the explanation.

Please Review~ (9/18/10)


	24. Pool : Bonus Chapter

Bonus for the 3,000 hits. Officially the most popular among all my other stories. Thanks for your support everyone!

* * *

Bonus Chapter - Pool

Shun had no idea how he got into this.

It was supposed to be a normal day when Dan suddenly ran inside his home and told him to get some swimming gear (he didn't have the time to ask how his friend got past the locked door so easily.) The raven-haired boy wasn't all that sure what was going on, but nevertheless did what the brunette had asked him to. Once he had what he needed, the energetic boy grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him all the way to the public swimming pool...which actually somehow became a private one since his school mate was stinkin' rich.

Oh yes, Shun was only seven when he was pulled into this.

He blinked a few times, glanced at Dan, and turned back to the big expanse of water that numerous six-year-olds were playing, swimming and splashing on. What got him was that everyone looked like they knew how to swim and had no trouble at all. Yep, you guessed it...

The poor kid did not know how to do such a thing. He even had deflated tube that looked like a ring that should have kept him afloat in his white plastic bag where his trunks and other stuff were.

"So Shun? Let's change already so that we can join them!" the brunette piped up excitedly. All the elder male could do was a worried groan.

Dan noticed his friend's hesitation. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're afraid of the water?"

"N-no I'm not!" he retorted quickly. "B-but...I can't..._swim_..." he muttered with his face going red in shame.

Suddenly he felt a small pat on his back. Shun looked up and saw the brown-haired child's cheerful smile. "It'll be okay! There's a part of the pool that you can reach anyway! There's nothing to be afraid about!"

"I'm not afraid Dan...I'm just-"

"We'll talk in the pool Shun! I don't want to miss all the fun!"

"O-okay."

-o-

It was how the younger boy had said; there was a portion of the pool that was easy to reach for any seven-year-old. His only predicament would be that he would be lingering on nearby the stairway for the entire time...and that made him stick out like a sore thumb compared to everyone else. Not one child was with him, even Dan went to the deeper parts with his friends.

Shun felt alone and frightened...alone because he was the only person sitting on the steps while wearing his green trunks and frightened that someone would find out about his...disadvantage and would mock on it. That would be the last thing he would want-

"Hey you guys!" the voice snapped the raven-haired boy's thoughts and made him cringe in fear at the same time. It was coming from the entrance of the changing room, and a dark-blue haired kid was holding up a deflated donut shaped thing. In other words, an inner tube. _His_ inner tube. "Now who would own something as embarrassing as this?"

Shun started to go red and tried to hide his shame by going lower in the water. Everyone's attention was now on the piece of plastic and were looking around to catch glimpses to who's it is. Dan seemed to have noticed this too, and decided to speak up. "I-it's mine!"

The raven-haired boy was in shock. "D-dan..?"

"It's yours Dan?" he questioned with slight disbelief.

"Yeah...I brought it along in case I just...uh...wanted to relax and stuff. It's not used for...uhm...helping someone swim or anything!" the brunette was stuttering and his voice was quivering, but it still somehow convinced his friend. "Well, okay then. For a second there I thought there was someone here who didn't know how to swim. Seriously, how can someone not know how?" the child laughed.

After the commotion died down and everything felt normal again, Dan went to his friend to see how he was doing. The elder male was silent when he was close by. "Shun..?"

"I owe you one...thanks." he replied.

Dan beamed. "No problem!"

_Friends are also there to watch your backs in case something bad or...embarrassing happens._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **I'm back with the chapters!...even though it's the final exams this week. XD Heh, bet'cha didn't expect Shun not knowing how to swim.

Review please! Reviews are the best ways to keep an author happy! :D (10/6/10)


	25. Pillowchan

22. Pillow-chan

Here's the setting : Dan and Shun are in a train.

Why you ask? Because they're headed to a murder site...of course I'm joking. Shun has to visit his grandfather again for the Sem break _(for those who don't know, that's around the last days of October and the first few days of November for us…so…no school on those days. :3)_

What's different this time is that Dan decided to tag along. The brunette had complained before that it was boring without his friend to play with, but his mom never permitted him to come...until now. The raven-haired boy didn't know what kind of persuading he used on his own mother, but he didn't bother asking. That would arouse more...well, he just preferred not to do so. Still, he was placed in charge of Dan's safety and health. What a big burden to put on a nine-year-old.

The younger child was busy going _'oooh'_ and _'aaah'_ over the scenery past the window. They were already in the country-side and would take another hour to reach the stop. Shun knew the area quite well since this wasn't his first time, but Dan couldn't help it; the view was amazing. The mountains were filled with trees and the leaves were color orange since it was almost winter. Though they haven't passed by Halloween yet; the brunette already had plans to what they were going to do...

Out of the blue, Dan stifled a small yawn. "Tired?" Shun asked.

"Not really..." he replied while yawning again. Well it was around 6am in the morning, it would be natural...or so Shun thought.

The boy slid back in to the red chair that they were supposed to be sitting on. And suddenly, Dan rested his head on the elder boy's shoulder while closing his eyes.

The black-haired boy did not react well to that. "D-dan! Get off!"

"But I'm _sleepy_..."

"Just lean on the wall for now alright?"

"...you're softer Pillow-chan." he flinched. What did he just call him? "_Pi...Pillow...chan..?_"

"Yeah."

"Since when did you have the right to nickname me?" he asked; clearly annoyed. Yet that didn't work for Dan. He probably had no idea what Shun was talking about.

Again, the brunette tried to sleep on him, but the other child kept moving away. "Stop moving Pillow-chan." the elder boy thought he heard a chuckle from the opposite side to where they were sitting.

"Don't call me that!" he retorted.

"Shun, please..?" he asked while rubbing one of his eyes. He was about to say no when he remembered that he had to be the one taking care of Dan. He had the responsibility of doing that and no one else for the time being…anyway; it would just be a couple more minutes. "F-fine..."

"Thanks..." he responded while showing a small smile. Dan then proceeded to lean on Shun and quickly fell asleep.

Again, the kid thought he heard someone going _'awww'_ nearby. He pushed his embarrassment away and chose to rest his head on his friend until they reached there.

He found himself sleeping as fast as Dan did.

_He didn't like it, but his friend's need would count more than his own._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **Double update! Inspiration from my friend suddenly calling me that while she tried to rest on my shoulder. She said I was soft, but I kept on moving a lot. I asked my little sister about it and agreed with her. o_o;

I would be the one going _awww_ over him in the train. XD Wouldn't you? Please Review~! (10/6/10)


	26. TV

23. TV

"The TV's not working." Dan muttered as he glared at the small square machine that was showing blurry gray lines. Shun had been watching his brunette friend the entire time as he tried to get it working. The younger child attempted to use the remote to turn it on and off several times, but that didn't give out much result. The brown-haired boy was already standing in frustration as he manually switched it on and off again. "Uh...Dan, how is that going to get it to work?" the elder male asked.

"I dunno." he replied. "My mom used to do this to our TV and it eventually showed something, so I'm doing the same thing." Shun sighed as he continued to press the button over and over stubbornly. Off all the times he visited him it was the time that the television didn't work. What luck.

Out of the blue, Dan did something that Shun didn't expect. The brunette kicked the machine. _Hard_. "W-what are you-"

"Still not working." the child muttered. This time he threw a few punches on the screen, and another kick. "Dan, stop it!" Shun shouted.

"Wait, I think I'm getting something!" the boy then ran out of the living room and up the stairs, leaving the raven-haired boy all alone; thinking why his friend would suddenly take off. Soon, he came back, with something much _much_ worse...in a sense.

Dan was holding a baseball bat.

"Ooh no, you're not going to-"

"Just sit there and watch Shun!" he responded as he glanced at him. Before the elder male could stop him, the brunette had already done his first swing. Then another. And another. The sound would make any normal person flinch, including the black-haired kid. But Dan seemed to be enjoying this little torture act with the TV.

Shockingly, the machine blared and then showed the channel as clear as it can be. Well what do you know, it worked after all.

"See, I told you I can fix the TV without calling mom!"

_Moral of Chapter: Using a baseball bat is much cheaper than calling the repair guy in fixing a TV. No, seriously._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **And that is how, my fellow readers, how to fix a TV. It's short, but I don't really care. Dan got to murder the TV.

You know, our TV doesn't work. If it does, it's blurry. This is payback. I sadly don't get to do this in real life though. Please Review~ (10/11/10)


	27. Cinderella

24. Cinderella

"_What_? What do you mean Miku's _sick_?" Dan shouted as he stared at his classmate in shock.

"Her mom just called the class president not long ago...she won't be able to make it to the fair tomorrow." he muttered back sadly while avoiding his gaze.

"Then...then what are we going to do? Without the Cinderella, we won't be able to push through the booth."

"T-that's the reason why I called you..." the brunette didn't like that pleading stare. Even if the boy didn't say it, Dan knew exactly what he was asking of him. "_Ooh_ no," he moved his arms around in desperation. "I can't-I mean, come on-!"

"Y-you're the only person who has the same height and build as her..."

"B-but...really, are you sure there isn't anyone else? Anyone _female_?" he was answered with a shake of his classmate's head.

Dan groaned while doing a face-palm. He definitely did not expect this. Not at all. Life's funny that way.

-o-

This is how Dan ended up in a frilly light blue dress with a blonde wig and a silver tiara on his head. He hated it already even though he only wore the costume for one second. The brunette was practically twitching in irritation and his mind was filled with thoughts on how Miku was supposed to pay him back for this humiliation.

Here's the summary: The school was going to have their annual fair, and when you reach a certain level, you are then allowed to have your own booth. You have to follow the theme of the fair though, and everyone in the class has to pitch in to build their class booth. The theme was simply about story books, and somehow Dan's class ended up with Cinderella. They were supposed to make a game where you have an inflatable pool filled with shoes, and you have to find the matching shoe for the Cinderella that was waiting. If you found it in less than three minutes, you get a prize on how fast you did it. If you don't, well...Dan decided he would hit the losers with a plastic sword. This was to make up for the embarrassment in being a dress.

His classmates were begging him to do it though, and besides, if they don't find out he's actually a guy, then everything would be fine...right?

The brunette placed the fake long wig on top on his own messy brown hair and tried to make the most girly voice he could do. It came out better than he expected. "Maybe I can pull this off after all..." he thought while trying to boost his confidence.

Finally after inhaling and exhaling a few times, he stepped out of the changing room and headed towards the stall. Nobody seemed to notice that him since they were busy with their own preparations, but he manage to hear some of the murmurs of the crowd. _"She looks kind of cute in that dress."_

"Oh man, I hope the day passes by quickly." the teen thought. He could feel his cheeks going red already.

The first few hours weren't so bad; nobody seemed to suspect anything about Dan at all...even though some of the players were guys. One of them did stare at the brunette for a few seconds...and blushed. That was not a good sign.

Soon, it was lunch break. His classmates were congratulating him for a job well done. He had survived the morning while putting up the girly voice. "I don't know how much more I can take this guys..." he whined while drinking some water; still using his lighter voice in case someone overheard them.

"Just a few more hours Cinderella...you can do it!" one of his friends encouraged him while showing him a big smile.

"Try telling yourself that when you're wearing this stupid dress." he mumbled in reply.

-o-

And the afternoon just got better for Dan.

He was just doing his usual routine when he noticed a figure enter the area. "Welcome to our booth-" he started in his high-pitched voice; only to then stop when he saw who it was.

It was _Shun_. Of all people, Shun, his best friend, was in his stand. "W-what the heck is he doing here?" he thought. The teen then remembered that he invited him to go to their place for fun. "Oh shoot! I-I totally forgot to tell him not to go to our booth anymore!"

Thankfully, it looked like the raven-haired boy didn't notice his friend in a puffy dress yet. "Uh...are you one of Dan's classmates?" he asked.

The brunette's mind was racing, but he tried to sound perfectly calm. "Y-yes...if you're looking for him he's somewhere else in the fair."

"So I missed him huh?" he nodded in response. "He asked me if I could play. Here." the elder male handed him the tokens he needed to play the game. Dan hesitantly accepted them and explained him the rules of the game. "Okay...three, two, one...go!"

Shun quickly scoured the pool filled with shoes and tried to find the matching one...the one that Dan was wearing. In a minute and a half, he grabbed the right one and showed it to the Cinderella. "Found it."

"Cinderella!" out of the blue one of his classmates went in and saw the situation. "O-oh, I'm sorry about that...anyway, here's your prize. Thank you for playing!" she stuttered as she got one of the items on the shelf and gave it to the raven-haired guy. Shun seemed to glance more at Dan than the prize he won though.

"Tell Dan that I passed by here already alright?" he told her. She nodded and went to the back of the booth to get more supplies.

The elder male turned and was about to leave as well. The brunette sighed in relief; he did it...he-

"By the way, you look pretty good in that dress Dan." he smirked.

It took a couple of moments before the younger teen registered what he had said. When he finally realized Shun saw through his costume, he was already a good ten feet away from him.

"S-SHUN!"

_When you spend a lot of time with someone, you could see through even the most difficult disguises..._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **I kept on snickering when I was typing this. Yet again, another idea from my friend **solitarycloud**_. _This was actually supposed to be her class' booth, but they decided to change it. So now I'm free to use it. She just told me this like a while ago at school...*lol*

Poor Dan, he's going to be scarred for life. XD Please Review~ (10/14/10)


	28. Ribbons

25. Ribbons

"Dan?" Shun randomly asked so that he wouldn't be as bored as he was. The two boys were inside the brunette's room, and also not doing anything. Playing outside wasn't an option since it was raining and Shun didn't want to borrow their umbrella to go home. The last time he did so, he had forgotten. So the raven-haired didn't want to bother doing it again.

Now actually, they were currently waiting for those cookies Mrs. Kuso was cooking for them downstairs in the kitchen. The minutes seem to be passing by like hours though. The younger male was already lying on the bed with his head upside down as he was listening. "Yeah?"

"What comes in to your mind with the word _'Ribbon'_?"

"Why are you thinking of that when we're waiting for cookies?"

"I dunno; I'm bored." the red-eyed boy decided to answer the question after a few seconds of silence.

"Uhm...a ribbon? Don't they use those in doing those dances or something?" the two were quiet again for some time. The only sound in the room was the echoing noises of the raindrops hitting the window.

"Other people said something about _'Ribbons of Destiny'_..." Shun muttered.

"What does that mean?" the six-year-old boy asked his elder friend. Instead of an answer, he just shrugged in response. "Don't have a clue. All I know is that it has to do with hearts and red long pieces of cloth."

"Uh huh..." out of the blue, Dan's eyes lit up; like he just had an idea. The brunette rolled over, got off his bed and started to rummage in his closet. "I found it!" he then triumphantly held up a stick that was connected to a green ribbon. "Why do you have that?" the raven-haired boy questioned.

"A friend gave it to me since she didn't need it anymore."

"So...what do you do with it?" Dan simply grinned back. He then stood on the floor firmly and raised the light apparatus up in the air. The younger kid then began to make circle motions with his wrist which made the ribbon loop around him as well. Soon his body was surrounded with it floating in a spiral motion. "Woah..." Shun gaped.

"It's pretty cool isn't it? I totally forgot about this thing until you said it. She also taught me how to do this by the way."

"Can I try?"

"Sure!"

Soon the two boys tried many different patterns and motions with the white rod and green ribbon. When Mrs. Kuso peeked in the room to see what they were doing and why they haven't gone down yet, she smiled at the pair happily twirling their newfound toy around and making something beautiful at the same time. She didn't want to disturb them and slowly closed the door without making a sound; leaving them to continue playing with it.

_They didn't even notice that it stopped raining._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **I like ribbons...they're fun to play around with...any~way, please review...I like reviews to as much as I like ribbons...they make me feel nostalgic. :D Oh, and the school fair today was tiring. I have to go tomorrow though...*sigh*...(10/16/10)_  
_


	29. Dropped : Bonus Chapter

Bonus for the 60 reviews and the 4,000 hits! Uhm, jjb88, I appreaciate the support, but you don't need to review every chapter. If you insist though, don't make it like three words only okay? Anyway, thanks for the hits everybody!

**EDIT : **Uuh...wait, did I submit the previous chapter instead of this one? S-sorry if I did. If I'm just being paranoid, then that's good. If not...I'm really really sorry for the mix up! (10/19/10)

* * *

Bonus Chapter - Dropped

They were supposed to have a party in a condominium, but it looked like Dan and Shun arrived too early.

The brunette had invited his older friend to go with him to a birthday celebration of a classmate of his...though, it seemed that he got the time wrong and now they were stuck in the lobby for an hour with nothing to do. They couldn't go back to their houses since well, it was Mrs. Kuso that dropped them here...so they have no idea how to get back. They had no choice but to wait until they are allowed to go up to the room where the party will be held. What are they going to do in one hour?

Thankfully for the both of them, Dan brought a test tube-shaped bubble bottle that they could play with for the time being. Since they were allowed to go to the roof of the building, that's where they were at the moment.

It was windy that day and the sun was covered by the clouds, which was good since the entire day yesterday was scorching hot. The brown-haired boy had already opened the cap which was also the stick used to make the bubble and blew on it. It sent a group of spheres flying up to the sky; earning a hint of amazement from Shun. "I'll never get why bubbles are so much fun to look at..." he muttered.

"It's more fun to make 'em you know Shun." Dan responded while showing him the orange bubble blower. "Wanna try?"

"Uh...sure. But I never blew one before."

The younger child gasped. "Seriously? Not even once?" he nodded.

"Well it's really easy and fun! You just have to get some bubble juice from here-" he dipped the stick inside the plastic container filled with a translucent liquid. "-and then you blow on it!" he positioned the rod nearby his mouth and blew on it, causing it to make circle-shaped floating things that were flying left because of the direction of the wind. "Like that!"

"O-okay..." he took the stick and followed what his friend did. The result was the numerous small bubbles wafting in the sky. "Cool~!" he beamed while gazing at them.

"See? I told you it was easy!"

The pair kept on playing with their plaything again and again while leaning on the grey railings. It didn't last for long though, since Dan accidentally did something with the orange bubble blower.

He dropped it. "Oops." the two couldn't do anything but watch it fall and land on a bush at the hotel garden.

"We-we have to get it back!" Dan exclaimed. "You get it Shun!"

"_What_? Why me?" he retorted.

"B-because you have all those ninja skills and stuff! You can just climb down and up the wall!"

"...Dan, you have two problems with your theory. One, it's my grandfather who's the ninja, not me. And two, you watch too many action TV shows. Ninjas can't defy gravity like that you know."

"Oh. But still, that means I have to go down the elevator and stuff. You get it!"

"My reason not to do so is simple, _you're_ the one that dropped it!" he countered. The brunette pouted, but Shun didn't budge. After a few minutes of their little staring contest, with the container still in his hand, Dan exhaled sharply. "Fine fine, I'll get it."

It took them some time to retrieve the item the younger boy carelessly let go off since the elder male had to guide Dan to find it. The younger one was grumbling about going through the shrubs and leaves to get it back. "I found it!" he shouted happily while holding it up so that Shun could see from the roof.

"Nice Dan!" he yelled in reply. "But we have one more problem!"

"Problem?"

"Yeah, we have to go to the party already!"

_For Shun, the shocked look on the boy's face was simply priceless._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **My little sister won some bubbles from fair yesterday (it was sooo hot...) and well, we were playing with them this morning. It was windy too, so we sometimes let the breeze do the blowing for us. We also live in a condo, so it's cool to see the bubbles flying around going to the ground or going up to the sky.

Anyway, she dropped it by accident. And well, we were still both in our pajamas...so...yeah, I let her get it for us with my yaya (guardian would be another term I guess.) I kept on laughing when I was trying to instruct her to the place it fell on. XD

Please Review~(10/18/10) No school today~


	30. Despair

26. Despair

Shun hated it. He hated it so much. The boy didn't think it was possible..._why_? Of all the people why Dan?

Why did Dan have to be kidnapped?

Reports say that he was taken behind the school where he was drugged since there was some residue left at the scene. Nobody, even the police know where he is now. At the moment they are searching for the lost child, but Shun wasn't comfortable with the whole thing.

In the news, there have been things about numerous kidnappings in the area. But he never anticipated that the brunette would get involved...or targeted for that matter.

The raven-haired boy had been running around town for some time; looking for any clues that the culprit may have dropped. There was nothing to go on, and Shun shuddered at the thought of what his friend was feeling..."I...I _have_ to save him." he kept thinking. It was his only goal now. He didn't care that he had tons of assignments to do or his grandfather would get mad at him for coming home so late. He had to find Dan. No matter how long it would take. The child would search all night if he had to.

-o-

"U-ugh..." the brown-haired boy groaned as he tried to push himself up with his arms. He was surprised that he couldn't and found out that his hands were held back with strong ropes. "_Great_...I'm tied up." Dan muttered. He was able to get himself to kneel though. "Where...am I?"

He scanned his surroundings to see if he could find a way out. He can't recall much how he got here, but he did remember the ambush. He didn't think that innocent-looking letter would turn out to be a total fake. What do they want with him anyway? "Am I another random target?" he thought.

The floor below him felt cold and the atmosphere was damp. "I guess...warehouses are still a common choice to hide someone." he mumbled as he noticed the boxes stacked around him.

His vision wavered as he stared in to the darkness. He was in a tight spot, and had no way to get out. The boy was _trapped_...and who knows how long would it be till someone finds him again..? Or worse, if the kidnapper came back for him and decided what to do with him.

He closed his eyes and felt hopeless..._despair_. A small tear went down his cheek as he cried softly to himself.

"H-help...somebody...please..."

-o-

Shun was panting; hard. He had tried the all shadowy alleyways he knew. He went to every corner of the street and asked many people if they have seen something suspicious. After all that; nothing. No results...at all. He groaned; this was not good. Where could he be?

"C-calm down Shun...you have to think of this in a different perspective." the twelve-year-old muttered. "Now, if I were the criminal, where would I hide a person without attracting too much attention?" there were actually many places that could have fit the description. But only one could have been possible...after all, it's the perfect hiding spot. It's so overly used that most would think that it was just too...obvious. "Reverse Psychology." he smirked.

Gathering the remaining energy he had left, he sped towards the dock where the warehouses were lined up...filled with storage boxes and hopefully, his best friend.

"Wait for me Dan...I'm coming!"

* * *

**A/N : **This is sort-of an apology gift for screwing up the last chapter. Yes, I already replaced it...you can take a look after I'm done rambling. I wonder if people even read this stuff?

Anyhow, idea again from my best friend...no, not the one that suggested Cinderella. My...other friend. Yeah. She wanted something dramatic...and honestly, so did I. So here it is. Don't worry, this is a bit of a two-shot. So Part Two's coming up next. Heroic Shun, enter! :D

Please Review! And jjb88, (Woah, I practically memorize your username now.) Shun already fell in to the water before! Give him a break will ya? No, I won't let Dan fall in the water either. (10/19/10)


	31. Rescue

27. Rescue

Shun didn't think that time would pass this quickly.

It was already sunset and the sky was orange and red when he arrived at the docks. He didn't have any back-up with him since he didn't bother telling the police anymore. The boy thought he didn't have the time...and through all the panicking, he forgot to consider if the culprit was armed. But would you really think that when you believe that you have the ability to save your friend from a kidnapper? The ninja may be smart, but Dan was already a different story.

He swore to himself many times he would get him out safe.

The only problem now would be which warehouse he was trapped in. It only hit him now that the criminal also may not be alone. What if he had guards or something? If he was caught, then they can flee to another location and Shun would lose the trail.

All of a sudden, he heard footsteps. The raven-haired male swiftly hid behind a corner and peeked to see who it was. It was a man, and he was holding a gun too. Definitely someone shady since his face was covered by the weird black mask thing that most robbers wear so that it would be hard to recognize them. "Great...he does have accomplices." he thought to himself. Fortunately, the man pacing around didn't look so...confident. And actually looked more nervous in doing the job.

The situation felt so easy that it seemed too good to be true. Were these kidnappers amateurs or something? If yes, then why haven't they been caught yet? "How weird." he mused. Shun pushed it out of his mind though and began to plot a path to keep him covered from the robber dude.

In a matter of seconds, the ninja already had about two routes. There was the obstacle of not knowing where Dan was held captive though. He needed luck for that one. "If only these guys could just lead me there...then this would be much easier." he muttered.

"Ooh...I really don't want to do this." the man said aloud. That gave Shun an idea...it's risky, but worth a shot.

-o-

"Why is brother making me do this..? E-even though we're short on money...we don't have to abduct some kids..." the kidnapper mumbled while trying to spot anything suspicious. His sibling told him to keep watch while he made the phone calls. But he really didn't want to do this. He was always the timid brother of the two, and he couldn't do anything to stop him when he declared that he was going to push through with this dangerous plan. "This is so stupid...I would prefer to work my butt off rather than have the chance to be arrested!"

Out of the blue, the man heard sniffling from a nearby corner of the building. "W-wait a sec-" he carefully and cautiously tiptoed to the source of the sound, his finger on the trigger in case it was a threat. Yet when he was able to see him though..."A-ah...it's a...boy..." he thought with surprise.

The child was crying, and was crouched down; sitting on the floor while his face was buried in his arms. The poor kid looked lost and tired; he was positive he wasn't part of the group, so..."A-are you lost?" he asked.

The raven-haired boy looked up with small tears in his eyes. "W-who are you?" he responded while his eyes stared at the gun. The man quickly realized this and dropped it on the ground. "I-it's okay...I'm not going to hurt you."

"Really..?"

"Yes." he smiled. "Now, how did you get here?"

"..." his gaze was now focused on the man's eyes.

"Uuh...little boy? Are you alright?" the stare was starting to intimidate him.

Suddenly the child he took pity on lunged at him and rapidly pinned him on the ground to his shock. "I'm here...to rescue a friend." Shun's voice grew dangerously low. "If you don't lead me there in the next ten seconds, I swear I'm going to pick up that gun and shoot you in cold blood." the ninja picked up that line in one of those unusual detective TV shows his grandfather normally watches. He was bluffing, but the tone in his voice seemed to have done the trick. "_O-okay_! J-just don't...don't kill me!" he shouted with a terrified expression.

Shun's face quickly softened. "Just...just bring me to the warehouse where they're keeping the others." the man nodded. The male slowly released his grip on his collar and helped him stand. "You're...really brave you know. If I were you, I would have called the police instead of going out here."

He showed a small smile. "I want...I want to save Dan in the quickest manner possible. If that means risking my life for it, then that's what I'm going to do."

The guy seemed impressed. "I wish I had courage like you do...but, you have to be really careful. My brother..."

Shun nodded. "Yeah, I'll try not to get hurt."

"That's...good." he also showed a smile. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Shun...Shun Kazami."

"Well Shun, I wish you good luck. Your friend is in Warehouse no. 9..." he hesitated. "I'm sorry; I'm too scared to face my brother now. I'm going to report to the police about this."

"Alright, thanks." they both went separate ways now, but before he was out of sight, the man shouted to him. "Don't die okay?"

"I won't." he replied.

-o-

The black-haired boy was happy; his plan worked better than expected. Not only did he get the directions he wanted, but he also befriended the guy. And he was positive that he could trust him. He...he would do the right thing. He was sure of that.

Shun kept running as he read the large numbers on the dull gray wall. Five...Six...Seven...

"Almost...there..."

Eight..."Nine!" he quickly stopped and looked for any windows in the building. He was able to find one, but it was pretty high off the ground. Thankfully there were a couple of boxes he could use to jump on. "Piece of cake." he built power on his legs and leaped on one container to the next. Soon his hand was on the ledge of the glass window and he could see what was inside.

He was surprised that there were other kids trapped in there and not only Dan. They were even younger than he was. He'll try to rescue them too if he can.

Shun started to silently creep past the window and land smoothly on the ground; inside the structure. He started to walk briskly as quiet as he can; hardly making a sound. He soon reached a large space where a man that looked taller and younger than the guy he met awhile ago was talking on a cell phone.

He was more focused at the fact that Dan was right beside him, tied up and gagged with a white piece of cloth.

"D-dan..!" to his luck, that came out louder than it was supposed to be, and the criminal spotted him immediately. "_Shoot_!" he tried to turn the other way, but he was shocked that there was someone blocking him and holding a sharp knife. "It-it's you..." he muttered with disgust. "I thought you said you were going to turn yourself in."

The man laughed. "I changed my mind. Now take a couple of steps back or else I'm stabbing you."

Shun made a small _'hmph'_ and did what he was told.

"Well well...so you're the intruder?" the leader sneered. "I thought it was a young policeman, but I didn't think it would be a _brat_!"

_"Mmph!"_ the brunette yelled but the cloth in his mouth was keeping him from talking. _"Mmmph-mph-mmph!"_

"Would you stop yapping?" the younger guy kicked Dan and sent him falling on the floor. "_Dan_!" Shun tried to go help him, but the other guy was now holding his hands behind his back so he won't escape.

"_Aww_...the kid's so concerned for his friend." the man that trapped the ninja snickered. The twelve-year-old shot him a glare, yet it didn't look as threatening as it did before.

"Don't worry brat," the leader started. "Once I get the money, you're both free to go..." he took out a pocket-knife. "To _Heaven_ that is."

Shun gritted his teeth. This was bad..._really_ really bad. Not only Dan was in huge danger, but his own life was hanging on the line too.

The next thing that happened was something that the raven-haired boy did not expect at all.

"W-what's...that sound?" out of the blue, the sounds of sirens can be heard. Before they knew it, police flooded the warehouse and captured the two kidnappers. They also released all the kids that were held hostage and were now being escorted back to their parents.

The ninja was watching everything unfold with a stunned face. How did the cops know that they were here? Still, he was happy that everyone was okay…

"_Shun_!" the older boy turned and found himself being hugged; tightly. "I'm so glad you came!" he shouted in happiness.

"I'm just relieved you're safe Dan." he replied while the brunette released his grip on him. The boy then glanced at the two culprits who were being led away while handcuffed. The older one saw his gaze and smiled at him. Shun immediately understood. "You...you really did...report to them..." he muttered.

The man simply avoided his stare and went in to the car with his younger brother.

"Shun..?"

The boy shook his head. "I-it's nothing Dan. Let's go home. Your mom's worried sick you know?"

_Things are not what they always seem to be...that's what Shun experienced first-hand that day._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **Aww...so cute~Shun going to his rescue. Oh yeah, it's my best friend's birthday today! *throws confetti* Now for the random FAQ!

Q : Is she a nice person?

A : Well, it depends. She can be kind to stranger...but...

Q : Does she have a bad temper?

A : YES. Yes she does.

Q : Does she like hitting people?

A : *nods* Oh yes, she hits me like everyday. And I'm not stressing that.

Q : Last question, does she like cheese?

A : No...as I recall she said she doesn't really like cheese.

Anyway, that's it! Thanks so much for reading this chapter! Stephy out!...oh wait, I forgot. Please Review~~(10/22/10) I'm more than half way there..! *trips*


	32. Nerf

28. Nerf

Today was one of those days that Shun would have a day-off from training.

Today was also one of those days that Dan bought a new toy.

How coincidental.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Kuso." the raven-haired boy greeted as he entered the house.

"Hi Shun, are you here to play with Dan again?" she asked while trying to copy one of those weird exercise videos in the TV.

He nodded in response. "Is he upstairs?"

"He's playing with his new Nerf Gun Shun."

"Nerf Gun..?" the boy repeated in confusion.

"Yes, you might want to watch your step when you go in alright?" the woman smiled as she continued to stretch.

"Uh...okay then."

-o-

"A-aren't guns really dangerous..?" Shun thought as he stood in front of the door; hesitating. Guns could kill, he was sure of that much. He was puzzling now why his young friend would have such a weapon. The newbie ninja gulped as he reached for the doorknob to his room.

Turning it slowly, he peeked in and was surprised when something was flying towards him at a very fast speed. Since he had no idea how to dodge, the boy ended up getting hit on the forehead and falling on the floor. "Ouch!" he cried as he winced in pain.

"Oh shoot! Is that you Shun?" the brunette yelled as he jumped from the bed he was jumping on. He quickly went past the door and helped his friend up. "Sorry...I didn't think you would visit our house now..."

"I-it's fine..." he replied. The ninja then looked around till he found the thing that hit him on the head. "What is this thing anyway?"

"It's a dart for my Nerf Gun." Dan answered while picking it up. The black-haired male only realized now that the brunette was holding a medium-sized yellow and orange barrel gun. It obviously didn't look like a real one, and there were still some shots with a blue suction. "When did you get this?" he asked.

"Uuh, this morning. Oh yeah, I asked mom to buy us two so that we can play together." he went inside and grabbed the other toy-weapon that looked exactly like his; also fully loaded. "C'mon, let's play!"

"Are you sure this is safe..?"

"Of course it is Shun! They wouldn't be selling this in a toy store for kids if it was right?"

So for the rest of the day, Shun ended up trying to get his accuracy up by trying to hit a moving target, Dan.

_Nerf is also popular in the Bakugan universe you know._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **A Three against One battle in Nerf...naturally, I was the one. My little sister and her friends were the three. The result? I got plumetted with darts.

This is just a little warm-up for the upcoming Halloween Trilogy I'm going to make after this. Excited? I hope you are...because this is going to be oh so much fun. :D The problem would be that you have to wait till Oct. 29. The chapters are going up one per day. So...yeah.

Please Review! I'm...begging you! XD (10/23/10)


	33. Gigglepies

29. Gigglepies

Who would have thought that cute things would one day overrule the world? Nobody ever thought it was possible. Not until...the _Gigglepies_ came along.

They just suddenly came in small packages..._literally_. In a cereal. Seriously, would you expect such a creature in a pack called _Invader O's_?

Well, people thought naturally they were cute. With their adorable big eyes, long antennas that had red glowing hearts on the end, sweet voice and rhyming, everybody practically swooned over them. Even the adults were sucked in, and that's the reason he was training to take down those killer bunnies with their tickling tactics. He perfected his accuracy in throwing kunai on wooden targets and swaying leaves, he increased his speed by running endlessly for hours jumping on buildings, he even got all those stealthy skills down just to sneak in their home base...the _Kuso_ residence.

Shun sighed deeply. This is it. He has to do this now. If he prolonged it any longer, the Gigglepies may decide to finally blow Earth up and leave the place. He had to defeat them...for the world, and for Dan.

The amateur ninja moved swiftly as he passed by the many civilians that were entranced to collect all the small bunnies. A few of those creatures were also moving around, not acting the least bit suspicious of a boy of nine racing on the streets and heading to the large palace that held their leader. The raven-haired boy kept telling himself so many times that he was ready and he was about to rid of the Gigglepies once and for all. "That name is still weird no matter how many times I think/say it." he muttered.

He was soon at his destination...a white mansion like structure that looked like it came out of a child's fairy tale. Shun still found it hard to believe that this used to be his friend's home, but that's what happened. And now the brunette and his parents were trapped inside. Who knows what the heck did they do to them? The young ninja shuddered at the thought.

Before he was about to take another step, he nearly stepped on one of the wretched Gigglepies. _"Get out of my way."_ he growled at the tiny bunny.

The boy did not expect for it to bawl instead of coming up with a rhyme. "Oh shoot!" he quickly fled the scene and jumped in to hiding when three adults (obviously fans) heard the crying and were giving death glares to anything that could have upset the young rabbit-like alien. "That was too close." he thought.

The raven-haired male leapt across the four and landed right on the roof of the snow-colored palace. He slipped through one of the windows and landed on the floor smoothly. "Now to find the leader."

Again, he did not expect for the place to be so darn big.

"What kind of mansion _is_ this? It's like a labyrinth!" he said aloud. At the realization of this he covered his mouth tightly and scooted to a nearby pole in case someone or something heard it.

Unfortunately, someone did hear it.

Fortunately, that person happened to be Dan.

"_Dan_?" Shun shouted; surprised. The brunette must have missed him a whole lot since he had tears in his eyes when he heard his older friend's voice. "_Shun_! You're here!" he replied while running towards him and tackling the boy. "You came! I knew you would!" he smiled while hugging him as hard as he could.

"T-thanks...but can you let go? You're kind of choking me." once he said that, the brown-haired boy quickly let go. His eyes were still teary though. "Are you going to the King's Chamber Shun?" he asked with concern.

"Of course." he responded with an isn't-it-obvious tone.

"B-but...he's dangerous...I mean, he might-"

"Dan, he's a talking bunny that speaks in rhymes. How bad can it be?"

-o-

The two boys made all the way to the large door where the leader was staying. The ninja gulped and the young brunette gulped as well. They were both nervous, but they had to do this...they were practically the only ones in the world that didn't seem to have the spell on them. Dan told Shun that even his own parents were hypnotized into loving those aliens.

The raven-haired male pushed the door and it creaked open. The both of them then stepped inside, and at the far top of a staircase sat the overlord of all the Gigglepies. He chuckled as the two went in, yet Shun sensed a lurking evil in his eyes. This rabbit had white fur, purple eyes, and instead of a heart at the end of its antennae, it was a crown. "I am Overlord Glee, and..." he simply exhaled. "Meh, I know you two won't be entranced by the spell, so I won't bother rhyming then." he sneered as he went to his darker red scarier version of himself. "I'll just kill you here. We're going to blow this planet up in a few days anyhow."

"Not while I'm standing you're not!" Shun shouted as he broke into a run and headed straight for the monster. He simply smirked and jumped over him, making the boy gasp as he turned around. He was shocked to see that the alien creature was holding Dan and his sharp claws were dangerously close to his chest. "Move and I'll kill this boy right here."

"_Dan_!"

"S-shun...help..."

"No! Let him go!" he yelled. Out of the blue a blind light came out of nowhere and the ninja couldn't see anything at all. When he opened his eyes though, everything turned black.

-o-

The boy jumped awake; clearly startled with the dream he just had. He sighed deeply and covered his face with one of his hands.

"That is the last time I watch Fairly Odd Parents before I sleep."

* * *

**A/N : **Shun's dream is seriously messed up isn't it un? Oh shoot, I'm still saying it. Nice. I still kept giggling to myself though when I typed this chapter. XD

Anyhow, tomorrow is the awaited day! Remember everyone, the Halloween Trilogy is separate from this one! So don't miss it! :D Please Review un~ (10/28/10)

Yay~no school till November 4...but, they still gave us homework. They're mean un.


	34. Injection

30. Injection

Shun was shaking uncontrollably. His fingers were clenching the seat he was on, his teeth were visibly chattering, and a strong sense of nervousness hung around the raven-haired boy. He glanced again at the door just a few chairs away from him and gulped.

**Clinic**

He hated school vaccinations. More than homework. More than training. More than _anything_. He would always fantasize in his mind about a large needle pointing straight at him with all its sharpness and whatever. The boy shuddered...he just hoped that he wouldn't shed any tears or anything like the last time he went to the clinic. Which was about a year ago...when he was nine.

The child was sure that his grandfather would punish him for being so wimpy.

"Hey Shun, are you alright?" a familiar voice asked beside him.

"No. No I'm not Dan." he replied while feeling the sweat slide down on his cheek.

"You do know it's just an injection right?" the ninja nodded. "Then what's the problem?"

Before he could reply, the nurse who was in charge of giving the injection called out in a loud tone. "_Next_!"

Shun cursed in his mind as he got off his seat and walked into the clinic. He tried to act casual as he went towards a large seat where dentists normally perform what they have to do and sat down. "Shun Kazami right?" the lady in white asked as she prepared a needle from the steel gray tray. The boy tried his best not to scream and muttered softly. "Yeah."

"This is only going to last for a few seconds okay?"

He gulped again and glanced at the door when he noticed Dan leaning on the side and watching him.

_What the heck is he doing there?_

The raven-haired boy's eyes widened as the injection needle was getting closer to his right shoulder.

_Don't cry in front of Dan don't cry in front of Dan don't cry in front of Dan..._

And before he knew it, it was all over.

"You didn't even flinch. That's good." the nurse smiled. Shun blinked in disbelief. It's done? _Seriously_?

As the ninja exited the room, he caught the tiny smirk the brunette showed him before he headed to class. The child didn't want to admit it, but his resolve for not embarrassing himself in front of his younger friend actually got him through his childish fear of needles.

_I hate you Dan._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **Of course Shun meant that he hated Dan in seeing him in his moment of weakness. :D I honestly have no idea how he got a phobia of needles, but that's makes it all the cuter and funnier right? Another idea from **solitarycloud**...

Sorry that I haven't updated this in a while. I kinda went brain dead (aka writer's block) after A Halloween Trilogy. But now I'm back! 20 more to go!...*sigh* Please Review! Pleease? (11/7/10)


	35. Food

31. Food

The black-haired boy did not know how or why he was dragged in to this.

For some reason, the brunette asked (or more of pleaded) him to go grocery shopping for him. He didn't get why he needed a companion or why Dan couldn't ask another friend, but he guessed that the boy placed a lot of trust in him...

"This feels like déjà vu." he muttered as his wrist was being pulled to the crowded market place. They weren't really asked much...other than to pick up a few ingredients for tonight's dinner (which Shun was invited to for being Dan's guardian.)

"Shun...what does black pepper look like?" the younger child asked as he realized that Dan wasn't beside him anymore. Instead, the boy was looking at a large shelf filled with all kinds of spices...too many for the raven-haired male to count. "It's black. And round."

"Oh." the young brunette then proceeded to look at the numerous bottles; trying to look for something dark and sphere-shaped.

Shun exhaled sharply. "Well this is going to take a while." he thought to himself. The boy then looked around for anything interesting, and his eyes rested on a small stand with a large white sign on the top reading _'Free Meat! Try it!'_

The child's curiosity was on high as he approached the stall and asked to eat one of the reddish cubes. The lady smiled and nodded as she handed him the small piece of meat. Shun quickly placed it in his mouth, and then his mouth curved in to a smile. "It's really good."

"I'm glad you like it."

"What's it made of?" he asked.

"Uhm, that's dog meat." she replied.

All Shun could do was gag and spit as he tried to get the taste out of his mouth since he already swallowed it. "Y-you're joking right? That thing was too good to come from a dog." he sputtered as he attempted to make himself throw up. No luck.

She shook her head. "All the meat here is hundred percent cooked dogs."

Out of the blue, Dan ran to him and at the same time was waving a bottle that was filled with black pepper. "Shun I found it-what's that?"

"It's meat."

"Can I try it?"

"_Absolutely not_!" the brunette was surprised by the sudden outburst. "Come on Dan, we still need to get some more ingredients."

"O...kay..."

* * *

**A/N : **My classmate was begging me to make this chapter already...so I did it. It is kind of cruel isn't it..? But she claims to have eaten dog meat before (she didn't know until her dad told her okay?) and said that it would be funny if Shun accidentally tried it (being the animal-lover she perceived him to be). Anyway, double-update!

Please Review~ (11/7/10)

* * *

"Hey, did you get any customers to try the meat?" the older clerk asked as he ran to the stall. He had to get something and let the amateur handle it while he was away. "Yeah..."

"Did they buy anything?"

She shook her head. "They all gagged after I told them it was dog meat."

"...you know, nobody said that you had to tell them what it's made of."

"But a boy asked me once..."

"...that's why there's a word called _lying_."


	36. Listener

**A/N : **Warning: The chapter you're about to read may be boring for some...*cough* Raexanne *cough*...well she can't help it really. But there are times that you just want to listen...to unwind and stray from the action. Y'know? I don't get why people can't agree with me there. I guess it's because I tend to be a listener too. I just wish she can be more sentimental sometimes...well you can't have everything. (11/12/10)

* * *

32. Listener

Shun was always quiet. He was always a loner; preferring to keep his emotions to himself and to do the things he needed by himself.

Shun didn't want his peace to be disrupted. He didn't want to have friends because it will take away the small precious moments of silence...the seconds where there was no noise, nothing to bother him. Even sleep isn't good enough, because sleep can have dreams. And dreams are noisy, lively; makes you feels that you're still awake and running.

Shun was never a talker. He was a listener. There to hear the wind, the sounds of the leaves as they fly in the sky. To hear nature at its best, undisturbed. To be in tune with the earth as life goes on with its daily routines and whatnot.

Shun has always done this habit for so long. It surprised him how he was able to get out of it so easily.

To have one friend...changed his perspective of the world so much. He sometimes wondered if he never met that boy...if he never met his first friend. What would have happened to him? Would he still be lingering on that same branch? On the same tree living in the same park listening to the wind? He pondered, but then couldn't for long. Because afterward, his new companion would be calling him to play.

He would tell him about all kinds of things. Information and knowledge that Shun never knew. Maybe there were only some things that can be known if you have friends.

As he went in to the park; the place where he met the boy for the first time, he passed by the tree that he remembered to love sitting on. The child noticed Shun staring at the tree and asked him what was wrong. He replied with a small smile on his face. "I'm okay Dan."

The tone must've convinced him since his expression didn't show any more worry.

They moved along to the playground and the boy ran ahead, leaving Shun standing there in thought. At some point, the seven-year-old had a face of contentment. He glanced at the tree behind him once more before joining the brunette in his childish games.

_"Thank you Dan..."_ he muttered softly; letting the light gust of wind carry it on its current and go to the clouds above.

The brown-haired boy wasn't a listener like his new friend was, but he somehow heard the little message of gratitude and grinned inwardly.


	37. Hibernating

33. Hibernating

Shun was always the overprotective type when he was younger. At that time, Dan and he were really close friends. This resulted for the raven-haired boy to have a tendency to visit his classroom every once in a while even though the brunette was one level lower than his, which made the walk there a bit more...complicated. In terms of his old teachers greeting him and asking why he's there and the occasional stares from Dan's batch mates.

But strangely enough as time passed by, it seemed like everyone knew now why an older student with black hair and brown eyes would be there and heading for the same room to check on an energetic boy.

Most of the time Dan would be wide awake and would talk about all kinds of things to his best friend, but one day when Shun visited, he was on his desk and his face was covered by his arms. There was a note that his hand was clutching on, but the text on it was easy enough to read.

_**'do not disturb **_

_**am hibernating'**_

Even with the little scrawl written with a red crayon, the boy proceeded to poke the brunette in an annoying fashion. Pretty soon Dan groaned loudly and his eyes groggily opened. He was frowning at his friend as he rubbed his eyes sleepily. "I told you to not disturb me." he whined childishly.

Shun folded his arms and pointed at the torn yellow pad. "Do you even know what hibernating means?"

"Sleeping?"

"For how long?"

"...twenty minutes?" the raven-haired child did a mental face-palm.

"You do know that the term 'hibernating' is only used on animals when they sleep throughout the whole winter right?"

"But it's Autumn." he muttered as he glanced at the window.

"That's not my point Dan."

"So can I sleep now?"

"...are you that tired?" he was easily answered by a stifled yawn. "Okay okay, see you later at dismissal then."

"Night."

"But it's still morning Dan-" Shun only then noticed that his friend already fell fast asleep. He sighed to himself as he looked at the brunette who went to the position he was in before. The boy suddenly took a part of the paper that the first-grader had previously ripped, grabbed a forest green crayon and began to write on it. After he was done, he placed it right beside Dan so that everyone can see it and left the classroom with a hidden sneer.

_**'Wake him up and**_

_**monsters will attack you**_

_**later at night'**_

_**

* * *

**_**A/N : **I think Shun enjoyed the threat he made. :D I wonder if it worked though..? Hehe, I dunno why but I find this chapter really cute. Oh right, this is another idea from **solitarycloud**!

Hey hey, in your reviews, can you tell me what your favorite chapters are? Pleaase? :D I wanna know which ones are your favorites! (11/15/10)


	38. Virtual Pet

34. Virtual Pet

Dan didn't expect the dojo-looking house to be so quiet at this time of day.

The brunette decided to visit his best friend since he was terribly bored in his own house. The minutes it took to get to his home to the other weren't that very long, and Shun always had some sort of idea that was entertaining for the both of them.

He sighed in disappointment when he found the place seemingly deserted. "Shun..?" he called out, but the only sound he heard was the echoes of his own voice.

The boy stepped inside and took a look around the hallway. Out of the blue, he heard a small beeping noise. It repeated for a few times, but then died down. Dan's curiosity was immediately piqued and he started to search around the furniture to find what made that sound.

Pretty soon, a small pink-colored oval shape thing with a screen, a tiny antenna and something moving around inside. It kind of reminded him of an egg, and there was a digital creature inside too. "What is this thing?" he thought as he noticed the three buttons below the panel. Pressing the one in the left, it made another beep and the screen changed.

The poor creature in the egg seemed to be hungry. Dan got a hold of the controls fairly quickly and effortlessly fed it some sushi.

"There, he's happy." he smiled.

"Dan?" a voice suddenly came out. The brunette got up from his position and turned to find the raven-haired boy staring at the object he was holding. "You're here after all Shun! I thought you were out of the house."

Instead of giving a reason, he replied to his friend with a question. "Where did you find that?"

"Huh?" he then glanced at the machine. "Oh. This? Under that cabinet. What is this anyway?"

"It's a...Tamagotchi." he muttered while avoiding Dan's confused gaze. "Tamagotchi? Isn't that a toy for girls or something?"

"Well it's not mine, but my cousin left it with me since she said that she's gonna be busy with school for the first few weeks."

The two were silent for some time. "I can't believe you actually said yes." the brunette finally said.

"Trust me, her torture methods are something you do not want to experience."

"How old is she?"

"...six."

"Wow."

"Why are you here?" the ninja grumbled.

"I'm bored." he replied.

"Well I have a job for you." Dan already had a bad feeling about his job. "Take care for that Tamagotchi until the end of the month."

"A-are you kidding me? Why?"

"Because I have training with grandfather. If you have free time, then this little guy would suit you."

"B-but-"

"Good luck." and with that Shun disappeared, leaving a gaping brown-haired boy and a little teenage Tamagotchi that had no idea what he was in.

-o-

_At the end of the month..._

"Shun?"

"Well?"

"...it died."

* * *

**A/N : **Shun's expression = O.O

*lol* My sister actually found the old Tamagotchi that was supposed to be her Christmas gift before. Since we changed the battery already, it's okay now. A teenager, girl, and it's right in front of me. Please Review! :D (11/20/10)


	39. Plants and Zombies

35. Plants and Zombies

This time, it was Shun's turn to visit his friend's house for the reason that he was finally given a day off after ten days of rigorous training. Why he was going to the brunette he had no clue. It must have been a force of habit since he knew that he preferred to sleep at this point than go somewhere else.

The ninja knocked on the door and was quickly answered by Dan's mom. After the occasional greeting and offer to stay for dinner (with Shun accepting it), he went directly to his friend's room and was about to go in when he heard something strange. "Aww man! The zombies ate my brains!" a voice shouted.

The raven-haired boy first had an expression that read 'What the heck is going on in there?' before he hesitantly opened the door. Everything looked totally normal to Shun's relief. He noticed though that the brunette was sitting on a black swivel chair and was playing a game of some sort. "Dan?"

The younger child was surprised for a moment. "Oh Shun, you're here?"

"What...are you playing?" he asked while gawking at three rows of plants shooting stuff at what seemed to be zombies.

"Plants vs. Zombies. You haven't heard of it Shun?" the rookie ninja shook his head. "You should try it! It's a lot of fun!" he grinned widely. But then it suddenly turned to a slight frown. "I keep on losing on this level though..." he muttered as he turned back to the screen with a column of Sunflower, Peashooters, and Wallnuts.

The raven-haired boy didn't know what to make of the game. Yet, it didn't look too bad...

"Daniel! Can you come here and help me make some cookies?"

The brunette's eyes quickly lit up. "Yeah mom! I'll be there in a sec!" he replied as he paused the game. The boy then glanced at Shun before leaving the room. "You can try the game if you want to. It's pretty easy to get the hang off. Just don't let the zombies reach the house!" and those were his last words before he closed the door behind him.

The ninja sighed as he looked around the room. His eyes kept on resting at the paused game, debating whether to really try it or not. "I might as well give it a shot..."

-o-

It has been thirty minutes since he left Shun up there all by himself, and Mrs. Kuso felt rude to keep his friend here in the kitchen. So after Dan was able to sneak a few licks from the spoon filled with dough, he climbed up the stairs to his quarters to play.

When he went inside though, he didn't expect the aloof boy to make his final blow on the large machine thing and the credits appear. "Oh, Dan you're back." the brunette couldn't believe how mild his voice sounded after playing the entire time. "Y-you...beat the boss..?"

"Uh, yeah. The game isn't that very hard you know. I can't believe you couldn't pass the level you were on."

Dan was gaping wide at the raven-haired boy. "Sometimes, I don't get you at all Shun."

The older kid smirked. "Thanks. Now are the cookies done already?"

He nodded and they swiftly both went to the dining room to eat their yummy snack of chocolate chip treats.

_There's a zombie on your lawn_

_There's a zombie on your lawn_

_There's a zombie on your lawn_

_We don't want zombies on the lawn_

_

* * *

_**A/N : **I didn't know that Shun was good with Plants vs. Zombies. O.o

A little update after about a week of inactivity. Please Review! (11/28/10) It's almost December already?


	40. Cookie

36. Cookie

Dan opened his eyes and found himself in the living room of his own house. He felt sluggish and tired, but then a sudden smell from the kitchen perked up his spirits. It was really good; sweet; chocolatety; yummy..."Chocolate Chip Cookies!" he squealed in happiness as he went straight inside.

The place seemed to be totally empty...his mom wasn't there at all. He knew that he shouldn't be eating these kinds of things before dinner, but then why would she make a batch in the first place then?

As he sneakily and slowly approached the silver plate, he sneered gleefully as he picked up one of the circle-shaped treats and smelled its aroma. Dan exhaled in happiness as he positioned it in front of his mouth; hovering inches away. The brunette opened his mouth as he let the cookie ever so slowly move in...

"Dan, wake up."

The boy blinked once; twice. He then stared at his hands which used to have a cookie on its grasp. He was in shock that there was nothing in them now. "_M-my cookie_..."

"You never had a cookie Dan." Shun muttered as he placed his hands on his waist. "You were dreaming. Now c'mon, we need to go before it gets dark."

"B-but..." suddenly, his eyes began to well up in tears. He was so close to eating a cookie...he smelled it and touched it...and at that moment when he was going to taste it-"_Waaaaaaah_!"

Everyone in the park turned and glared at the raven-haired boy and his now crying companion. Everybody stared at him like he was some kind of bully. "_N-no_! It's a misunderstanding!" he shouted. But then nobody really budged and continued to stare. "D-dan! Stop crying! It was _just_ a cookie!"

That seemed to make him cry even more.

"Dan! Stop! I-I'll buy you some cookies on the way home okay?" out of the blue, the brunette calmed down, and his cries diminished to small sniffles. "You...you promise..?"

"Only if you stop crying like a baby."

"...okay." and the matter was quickly solved. Shun sighed in relief that everyone stopped giving him death glares and pulled his friend along to the nearest sweet shop. Unbeknownst to the older boy though, Dan was laughing evilly to himself. "Yes! My plan worked!" he thought as he tried his best to hide his little sneer.

_Dan is actually sneakier than we thought..._

"By the way, you're paying." the black-haired male muttered; cutting through his thoughts of victory. "Huh? _Why_?" he shouted in disbelief.

"Seriously Dan, do you really think I would fall for that act?"

The brunette grumbled in defeat as he grabbed some of his allowance and went ahead to buy him some choco-chip cookies.

_Shun is still as sneaky as ever._

_

* * *

_**A/N**** : **Yes I am fully aware that 'chocolatety' isn't a word. This is Dan we are talking about here, so let him have some freedom will ya?

Now this idea came from a friend of mine that really had a dream about nearly eating a good cookie...then she woke up. She couldn't seem to get that dream back...she kept saying how she really smelled the cookie and felt the cookie in her hands...yeah...

Please Review! (12/1/10) Wow, it's December already!


	41. Sugat

**A/N : **Oh yeah, you're probably wondering about the title huh? Well you see, sugat means...like, wound or scratch in Tagalog. It may have been better to say wound, but then I feel like wound's too...deep-ish. I just feel like wound would be used in more grave injuries. Sugat has always been used for us in terms of scratches, scrapes and etc...

Anyhow, please enjoy Number 37! And review please! (12/3/10)

* * *

37. Sugat

"Surrender now evil doer! Or face the wrath of my sword!" the young brunette shouted as he pointed the plastic toy at his friend. The raven-haired boy, instead of backing down smirked as he quickly side-stepped and was able to get his own weapon on Dan's throat. The younger child gulped as he stared at the blade that was so close to his neck. "If I were you, I would have given up right now rather than lose my life like this." he sneered in a devious way.

"Uuh, Shun? Isn't that taking it a bit too far?" he asked. The older male quickly changed his face of evil to one of concern and confusion. "Really? I thought I was doing just fine."

"Well you were, but honestly it felt like you really meant it."

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that. I'll try not to _scare_ you too much."

"I wasn't scared!" Dan shouted indignantly which made his friend chuckle. "Anyway, want to continue?"

"Sure. Now where were we?" he pushed the brunette a bit and pointed his weapon at him. "Come on...I thought you were going to try to take revenge of your father?" he asked; his tone shifting to a darker version of his own voice.

"I will! Take this!" the brunette swiftly rushed forward with his sword at hand. Shun was able to block his attack with ease, and do so with the next swings as well. He didn't notice where he was stepping though, and happened to trip over something while he was evading. He slipped and his knees connected to the rough floor; hard. The boy winced in pain as he was able to sit down and examine if he got any injuries. He didn't get any, but there was a large scratch now on his knee. And it was bleeding.

The raven-haired male wasn't really panicking, but the brunette was. "_S-shun_! Are you okay? Oh _shoot_! It's bleeding! What do I do what do I do?"

"Dan, stop stuttering. Y-you just need to clean the scrape first..." he said calmly but at the same time was twitching a little from the light wound.

"Oh man, if only mom didn't go out for groceries now..." the child muttered. "Wait, I think I know what to do. Stay here Shun."

"I can't even stand Dan."

"Whatever. Just...don't move!" his friend then sped out of the room, leaving the older male to wonder what he was looking for. A few minutes later, the brown-haired boy came back with two things in his hand. One of them happened to be a container filled with cotton. And the other...made Shun's eyes widen. "Is that alcohol?" he asked weakly with fear in his voice.

"Yeah. I remember mom using this whenever I have scratches..." Dan said as he sat beside Shun and opened the bottle. He then pulled out a bunch of cotton and placed a couple of drops of alcohol on it. "Dan, wait! You _do_ know what you're supposed to do with the alcohol _right_?"

"...not really. Now hold still..."

"Wait, hold up-!" he couldn't finish the sentence since the brunette already placed the cotton right on top of Shun's scrape.

A high piercing scream quickly followed afterward.

-o-

"_Mom_! You're home!" the brunette said happily as he met with her at the door. Mrs. Kuso already notice the hint of worry in his voice and his face when he approached her. "Did something happen?" she asked.

"Uuh, Shun passed out."

"_What happened_?" she shouted urgently.

"I dunno...I think he couldn't take the alcohol."


	42. Umbrella

38. Umbrella

Dan sighed as he rested on the palm of his hand and stared at the window. He was in the classroom, and apparently, he wasn't listening to the teacher at all. The boy didn't need another review on how photosynthesis works. He'll worry about that when the test comes.

The young student was more interested on the tiny droplets that splashed on the glass pane beside him. The sky was dark, and the clouds around it were as gray as they can be. "Oh man, I didn't bring an umbrella with me today..." he muttered.

"Mr. Kuso?" the teacher's voice quickly made his attention turn to the lady behind the desk. "Y-yes?"

"I know that this is already an old lesson, but that mean that you shouldn't listen." she said firmly. The boy heard the class chuckle, and as quickly as that, the class continued. Dan flushed a bit in embarrassment. "I have to be careful with how loud I talk to myself..." he thought.

-o-

It was soon dismissal, and it was still raining as hard as ever. Unfortunately, all of his classmates who he asked said that they either they only had one umbrella for themselves or they didn't have any at all. The brunette was hoping that he could at least borrow one for the day...

He exhaled sharply as he gazed at the damp soil in front of him. The boy was standing right under the shade of the entrance and was wondering whether to simply run for it. The smell of rain was strong and the droplets hit the ground harder than before. "What should I do..?"

"Need an umbrella Dan?" a voice suddenly asked. The brunette quickly turned and saw someone standing outside with said something in his grasp. "_Shun_? I thought you left already..."

"I had a feeling that you would forget...so I waited here until you came out." the raven-haired male replied mildly.

"But, your dismissal was thirty minutes ago..."

"And?" there was a short silence between the two; the only sound that can be heard was the rain.

"...you're the bestest friend I could ever ask for..." he said with teary eyes. "Dan, there is no such thing as _'bestest'_." he muttered.

"Y-you don't need to correct me every time..." Shun chuckled. "Well, are you coming or what?"

The brunette nodded while showing a big grin. "Thanks."

_Even when there's rain, there's always a friend there waiting for you with an umbrella to keep you dry._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **You can tell I got seriously lazy with this one. I've been having writer's block AND assignments all week so my mind's kind of off at the moment. Sorry about that. Anyhow, I hope it wasn't too bad...another idea from **solitarycloud** by the way. :D

Please Review~! (12/12/10)


	43. Wings

39. Wings

"Shun, have you ever wished that you can fly?" the brunette asked as he gazed at the clouds on the sky. The two were lying on the grass on the nearby park, and since it was already the late afternoon, the sky above them was a shade of red and orange with a tint of light blue still present. They have been playing all day, and now was a good time to rest. The area was breezy too which made everything more calming.

"Well...yeah. I think every human has thought of it at least once in their life about that." he replied.

"Really?"

"It is man's instinct to dream to do things that are impossible to do with his body alone. Flying up in the sky like what birds can do...the same goes for the fish in the sea that can reach the deepest parts of the ocean without suffocating. We strive to do the impossible because in a sense, we already have done what nature wants us to do. Humans just want to take it further."

"...you watch National Geographic too much." the raven-haired boy chuckled. "And you watch too little of it."

"Hmph. I don't need any machines to fly." Dan stated with confidence.

"Is that so?" Shun responded with a smirk.

"Yep! When I grow older, I'll fly with the help of a dragon!" he exclaimed with a toothy grin as he stretched his arms on the ground. "A big red dragon that can breathe fire and protect me...he'll be my partner and we will be the strongest and best team in the universe!" the other male laughed lightly. "I'm sure something like that will happen to you soon."

"Not only me, but you too! But you can't have a dragon, that's just copying." the brunette went in to a thinking pose for a few moments before snapping his finger. "I know! You'll have a phoenix!"

"A _phoenix_?"

"Uh huh! A green one! One that can create gusts of winds at will and sail through the skies without breaking a sweat!"

"How come it's color _green_ Dan?"

"'Cuz it totally matches you Shun!"

"Haha, I guess so." the two friends laughed as they watched the sky grow darker as night time drew near. Soon, the first star began to twinkle on the sky, and it was amazing to see how more followed it. The both of them imagined being up there with the birds with a dragon and a phoenix; feeling the wind on their face and touching the clouds with their bare hands. Shun was fully aware that it was impossible, but it never hurt to dream...

-o-

"I never did think that it would really happen...Dan has a knack of predicting the future that's for sure." the fourteen-year-old muttered to himself as he stared at the starry same sky that they were both gazing at when they were little. The same sky that Skyress and he were looking at before Shun joined the brawlers. The same sky that he will see wherever he was. No matter if it was on a roof of a house, the beach or the mountains, the sky will always be the same. It always has been.

The only difference is who you look at it with.

"I'm really going to miss this place."

* * *

**A/N : **Huh...I wonder what Shun meant by that...if you're familiar with the starting of the New Vestroia Arc, then you'll probably know what he's referring to. Anyhow, I wrote this around two days ago, and since the internet is only working now...yeah.

Please Review! (12/19/10)


	44. Lab

40. Lab

"Shun?"

"Oh, it's you-" the raven-haired boy paused and looked at his friend from head to toe. "-what happened to you? You look like you've been smeared with a huge paintbrush." the brunette sighed. It was terribly unusual for a nine-year-old to be roaming around the campus while covered with blue food coloring. Worse, it was splattered all over his face, shirt, pants, and even his shoes. "It's going to take one long bath to take all of this off." the younger male muttered in annoyance.

"Mind if I ask what happened to you?"

"...to put it simply, I did something wrong in the experiment and accidentally made the entire room and everyone in it turn blue."

"Huh, I didn't think that was possible to paint the whole room blue with one explosion." the ninja mused aloud.

"Well if you want to, I can show it to you now." he offered.

"Okay, let's go then before the bell rings."

-o-

"Huh, even the blackboard has turn blue." Shun remarked while scanning the supposed laboratory. He walked inside and to the brunette's protest, started to touch the various blue-covered tools with a hint of amazement. "Is this yours Dan?"

"Y-yeah..."

Out of the blue, the raven-haired boy began to tamper with it as if trying to figure out what went wrong. He noticed a red food coloring bottle and placed a couple of drops in the beaker with water in it. "So what are you supposed to be doing exactly?" he asked.

"Honestly...I wasn't sure." the third-grader replied while rubbing the back of his head with his hand. The ninja flicked the switch on to start the stove under the container and the fire flickered on like normal. He then realized that there was another bottle of vinegar nearby on the table...and right beside it, a bottle of baking soda. "The usual ingredients to make a model volcano." he thought. In curiosity, he took the two bottles and showed them to his friend. "What are these for?"

"I think teacher told us to put those in..."

"Hm...can you show me how?"

"Uhm, sure." Dan quickly went towards the white table and got the two ingredients. He didn't notice Shun rapidly scooting away and hiding behind a wall though. "Okay...here it goes..."

To summarize the next few events, the beaker practically went kaboom and splayed red stuff all over the room. The red and blue combined and now everything was filled with purple...including Dan. The boy turned around to see if his friend was smeared too, but to his surprise, he was simply smiling at him. "Well, at least we figured out what caused the explosion." the ninja grinned.

-o-

The thirteen-year-old brunette was now staring at the very same room he was in a few years back. He still remembered how Shun chuckled at him and that he looked like Barney because of the purple food coloring. He wondered if he could ever do that again...but then, the principal would probably give him detention him if he did.

"Why am I remembering that now even if it was so long ago..?" he thought as he leaned on the door. In reality, he knew why. The teen just didn't want to admit it ever since his best friend had told him about it a few days ago. "...oh yeah, Shun's...leaving soon."

* * *

**A/N : **Yeah, Shun's just sneaky like that. But what's this? He's leaving? O.O What's going on here?

Leave a review and I'll update this as fast as I can, oh and I can't believe this is number 40! OMG, ten more to go! (12/19/10)


	45. Shocker : Bonus Chapter

**A/N : **For 100 reviews guys! Seriously, this is the most popular fic ever compared to all others. Every month, this story holds half of the total hits I get (and trust me, ever since I posted this, it skyrocketed to over 3,000) and the other half would be all my other stories. I know this is quite short, but I needed something to write to get me back on my feet.

Big thanks to those who'll review! (12/28/10)

* * *

Bonus Chapter - Shocker

"Hey Shun, want some bubblegum?" the brunette asked out of the blue. The other boy was a little surprised by the sudden offer, but it was just gum...right? "Sure."

Dan then took out a thin box from his pocket and showed it to his friend. The raven-haired male took the stick that was poking out like normal. Once he pressed it though, he got a nasty shock that made him flinch and take a step back. "W-what was that?" he thought aloud.

"What's what?" the child questioned skeptically.

"...it shocked me Dan." he replied with a glare. "Were you planning this?"

"Huh? Oh! I must have gotten the wrong one!" he shouted in what seemed like pure surprise. Shun was already cautious, but then it may have really been an accident. He did wonder though why he would be carrying something like that in the first place. While he was musing over the various possibilities with what Dan could do with a electric bubblegum thing, the brunette returned the fake candy in his pocket and pulled out another one that looked exactly like the previous one. "Here."

Letting his guard down, he took the gum like before, only...it was booby-trapped too. The shock was even more powerful than the last one, and it made Shun shout in pain. "_Ouch_! Dan! You said that it was the right one!"

"S-sorry!" he said apologetically. "I'll get the right one this time."

"How many of those sticks does he have in there?" the raven-haired boy thought. "Forget it; I'm going back to class."

"W-wait, Shun..!"

"I don't want to fall in to your trick again!" he yelled then walked away while grumbling to himself. Dan sighed; he didn't mean to make his friend angry..."Hey Gale." he called to a boy not far from where he was. The crimson-haired male quickly turned to him and approached the brunette. "Yeah Dan?"

"Wanna have some gum?"

"Okay." the guy got the stick, opened the wrapper and ate the light pink colored candy. "Thanks."

"No prob."


	46. Tooth

41. Tooth

"Shun, look!" Dan said as he for some reason opened up his mouth wide and pointed at an empty space between all his baby teeth. "...what am I supposed to be looking at?" the seven-year-old asked with slight confusion.

"I wost a tooth!" he sputtered back while his mouth was still gaping open. Closing it, he placed his arm over the older boy's shoulder and grinned. "And you know what that means right?"

"...no, I don't." the brunette was shocked. "The tooth fairy! Duh! C'mon, don't tell me you don't know about the tooth fairy!"

The raven-haired boy shook his head. "Uuh, no. I haven't...heard of her. Why's she called the tooth fairy?"

"'Cuz when you lose a tooth, if you place it under your pillow when you're sleeping, the tooth fairy will get your tooth and give you money in return! Isn't that awesome?" the look on Shun's face was easy to read; he wasn't buying it. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Hey, I've gotten a couple of bucks from this before. And not once I've ever found my old teeth, so it has to be true!"

"Fine, if it is, let's catch her."

"A-are you serious..?"

"Yeah, why not? You said she's real right? So the only way for me to believe you is if I see her with my own eyes."

"...then it's a sleep-over then!" Dan beamed as he showed a determined face. "Tonight, we shall catch the tooth fairy!"

-o-

It was a dark evening when Shun felt the door creak not far from where he was. Barely opening an eye, he could only see a large silhouette peeking out of the door. "Could that...be the tooth fairy?" he thought. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was past midnight, and Dan had already drifted to lala-land a long time ago. The boy wondered what he could do. The brunette did promise he was going to 'fake-sleep' so that he'll be wide awake when the tooth fairy comes. But as expected he had fallen asleep in a matter of minutes. "It's up to me to catch her."

Shun then started pretending to move and groan a little to make the figure jumpy. If she could just step closer; under the moonlight, the raven-haired male would be able to see her. As planned, the supposed 'tooth fairy' seemed to panic for a moment. She advanced further and started to reach under the brunette's pillow. Unfortunately, the child still couldn't see her in the dark, and had to resort to...drastic measures.

When you think about it, it was a little rash for Shun to suddenly jump from his bed and tackle the figure. And then to make it worse, he pinned her on the ground so that she wouldn't escape. All the ruckus woke the young brunette up and made him turn on the light. What the raven-haired boy saw next wasn't a pretty sight. "M-mrs. Kuso..?" he muttered with shock, guilt, and fear. As soon as Shun scrambled off of her, the woman stood up and glared at the two of them. It was so scary that the boy went up on the bed to his friend who was shaking in fright. And they hugged each other too when they saw the dark, demon aura around her. "W-we're sorry!" they both shouted.

That didn't save them from being grounded in the end though...by both moms.

"A-at least...we know who the tooth fairy is now..." the brunette sighed.

"...you're owe me for dragging me in to this mess." he mumbled in reply as they both continued to scrub the toilets as punishment.

* * *

**A/N : **For some reason, I can imagine this quite well...

This idea came from **yumikilala** after she suggested about Shun ever losing a tooth. But then when I thought of it, this came out instead. XD Anyway, starting now till #49, you can suggest what theme you want to come next. The best one shall be made. Make sure you do it in review form m'kay?

Please Review! (12/30/10)


	47. Dogs

42. Dogs

You wouldn't believe it, but our favorite duo here was invited to an all girls party!...okay fine, it actually wasn't like that in the beginning. But how did it turn to an all girls party you ask? Here's what happened...

It was a clear day; the sun was shining high up above the clouds, and today Dan invited Shun to his classmate's party. When the two arrived there, the raven-haired boy already noticed all the people there. Even with the eight-year-old brunette pulling him along the crowded groups of kids, at some point Shun got lost and couldn't find his friend anymore. The house wasn't that big, but because of the many doors and hallways, he had no idea where he was anymore.

"Enjoying the party Dan-kun?" a voice came out from the chatters in the room. The child turned and saw the birthday celebrant right in front of him with a smile. "Actually, I'm looking for my friend. I can't find him anywhere..." he replied while scanning the place.

"Well it's no fun to just worry all the time, c'mon and play with us!" she beamed. The girl took the brunette's hand and pulled him along until he noticed a puppy moving around as if curious of everybody. "You have a dog?"

"Yup! Two actually." she answered.

"Where's the other one?"

"He's at the room. For some reason he doesn't like boys that very much...Fluffy's always barking at 'em. That's why he's not in the party."

-o-

Meanwhile, Shun was walking around another random corridor. He groaned; this was not what he had in mind when Dan invited him again. Then again, things always don't go the way they're supposed to be with him around. The to-be ninja sighed as he noticed a door at the far back of the hall. He wondered, maybe this is the right one?

Turning the knob, he slowly pushed the door open, only to find a small dog at the center staring right at him. "A Chihuahua?"

Out of the blue, the animal growled and showed its teeth. It was glaring at Shun like he's trying to say 'Get out now or you're dead.'

The raven-haired boy didn't need a second warning. In a moment, the dog lunged at him; trying to bite him. Fortunately he dodged it, but then there was another problem. The dog was out of the room it was supposed to be kept in. "N-not good..."

-o-

Back at the party, all the kids heard a loud scream. Everyone went in to a panic, but Dan was even more worried about it than everyone else. "It's Shun!" he shouted as he ran for the exit; pushing others aside. Right when he was about to open the door, his friend did it from the other side. "Run for it you guys!" the raven-haired boy yelled as he sprinted out of the house. They were now all silent until they heard a loud barking from the hall. The brunette peeked, and screamed too. "Yikes! Run!"

And that's how the birthday party became an all girls party.

* * *

**A/N : **You could tell I got lazy again. XD Idea from **yumikilala** again! Well, it wasn't exactly as she told me to do it, but it'll do. X3

Next one's Katrina's...heeheehee...Please Review! C: (1/3/11)


	48. Kisses

43. Kisses

First impression of Shun when he hears the word kiss = :|

First impression of Shun when Dan said the word kiss to him = O_O

It was a bright morning as a young child of seven was resting on a bench with a green scarf wrapped around his head; covering his mouth a little. He sighed and noticed the small gray cloud that formed. Not really giving it much thought, he looked around to see if anyone he knew would see him here. It was a habit of his to always be wary of the unexpected. But today, well, it was something beyond what he could have ever imagined. "Shun!" a familiar voice called out to him. The raven-haired boy turned and saw the brunette running to him at full speed while waving his arm around to get his attention.

Finally, Dan plopped right on to the bench that the other male was sitting on and grinned. "Good thing you were waiting here Shun." he beamed. "I wanted to give ya some kisses!"

"..._whaa_?" at that very moment, a horrible mental image appeared on his mind. Before the brown-haired boy could even explain why he said that, the elder male stood up and ran. Ran as fast as he could. Pretty soon, the child couldn't see him anymore. "Huh? Did I say something weird?" he thought; completely oblivious while cocking his head in confusion.

-o-

Shun found himself pressing against the wall; panting hard since he didn't stop at all to rest even for a few seconds for the entire time. What happened awhile ago shocked him so much that it made him forget anything else he was thinking before Dan came along. Seriously, what was that about?

He tried to breathe deeply to calm himself. After a couple of tries, he felt his heart rate slow down and his mind working better. It wouldn't be an exaggeration that he completely lost his composure minutes ago. Either way, Shun felt a bit better and decided to go back home and sleep it off. After that, he did not want to know why the brunette said such a thing.

Unluckily for him on the way, he bumped in to the last person he wanted to see. "Hi Shun! Mind telling me why you just ran off like that?" the boy asked innocently with a big toothy grin. The raven-haired boy was shocked; was it possible that Dan didn't even know what he was talking about? "Can you...come with me for a sec?"

"Uh...sure, I guess."

He then led his friend to a small remote area; a place where Shun was positive that nobody would hear them. After all, this was a very...awkward conversation. "Dan, you remember what you told me awhile ago right?" he was answered with a puzzled expression. "You wanted to give me..." the boy's trailed off; he didn't even want to say the word.

"Oh yeah! I hope they didn't melt yet." now it was Shun's turn to gape. _Melt_?

The brunette suddenly reached in to his pocket and fished out a couple of small things wrapped in a silver foil-like thing. "Here! Kisses!"

"...these are _kisses_?"

"Yeah! It's a kind of chocolate! I was about to give you some but then you left before I could give it to you...Shun? Shun, what's wrong?"

"...you should have said it at the beginning dummy." he muttered while his entire face was going red. The other boy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Anyway, want some?"

"F-fine..." the elder male took one of the pieces of chocolate on Dan's palm, removed the wrapper and ate it. "...it's not bad."

"Shun, it's chocolate! Chocolate doesn't taste bad!" he exclaimed.

"W-whatever..."

* * *

**A/N : **So Shun didn't get kissed but got badly embarrassed. XD Ne, the first thing that came to my mind was the 'slip-and-kiss' thing, but then that was too common (and honestly, I didn't want Shun to kiss anyone...yet.) So I settled with this instead. Have I ever mentioned my little sister's love for Kisses? X3

I'm not sure what to do next, but I'll be focusing on this fic till it's done before the other stories...unless something else comes up. Please Review! (1/5/11)


	49. Priorities

44. Priorities

Today, Shun learned an interesting word from school because of the new vocabulary listing. As soon as the eight-year-old copied the words on his flat notebook, one of the words struck him with curiosity. _**Priority**_

His teacher said that it meant something like, what do you think is important in your life right now. "-like, for example, you're priority as students now are to study. Think of it this way kids, when you're done doing school work, you can play for as long as you please. Because that's your only priority _(unlike us adults)_."she mumbled the last few words to herself so that none of the second graders would hear her. Even though the raven-haired boy was only eight, his grandfather had already been teaching him how to heighten his senses more than the average human. So in a way, he caught what his teacher was whispering softly to herself.

Shun mentally cocked his head. "I wonder what my priorities are...besides school and all." he thought.

-o-

Later that day, he decided to take a rest on a large tree that was sitting nearby the school building. It was always his favorite tree to stay on for two reasons. One, the branches the boy normally rests on is too high for anyone to ever disturb him; let alone see him because the leaves are covering him. This was also good since they provide shade and Shun could still see what's going on below. The second thing was that the tree was so tall that he could see the entire school back side from there. The bonus was that Dan had no idea he stayed there often at breaks, so if he didn't want to talk, he could just sit on the thick branch and relax. Of course how he got there was thanks to his grandfather teaching him how to climb a tree with ease. "I guess there is some good to grandfather's training." he muttered. "...Dan should be coming out right about..."

He smirked when he spotted the young brunette talking to another one of his classmates. "_Now_." the raven-haired boy could tell while he was chatting that he was glancing around; as if looking for someone. He nearly laughed aloud; knowing exactly who's he searching for. And as usual, the red-eyed child soon did a small shrug and continued to chat with his other friend.

Shun let his head rest against the thick, brown trunk; paying no mind to the roughness. He had gotten so used to it that the feeling was almost comforting. The boy was about to take a short nap when he heard something that he did not expect. A shove, and then a short cry. He nearly jumped out of the branch if it not for his senses kicking back in so quickly. He carefully took a closer look at the situation below because he was positive the yell was close to where he was.

The to-be ninja was shocked to see Dan's friend on the ground with small tears in his eyes, and the brunette making a defensive stance to a bunch of bigger kids.

"D-don't come any closer you...you _bullies_!" he shouted; trying to make his voice sound threatening. But Dan couldn't mask the real fear he had; these guys can really beat him up if they wished. At the back of his mind, he desperately wished Shun was here to help him out.

"What're y'going to do pipsqueak? Are y'really going to fight us by yourself?" the older kid sneered. The other two kids behind him snickered evilly; making the brunette take a step back. Dan gulped as he glanced behind to his classmate who was in the verge of tears. "The best option y'have is to run pipsqueak. Leave 'er alone and mind y'own business. It's not like anyone's going to help y'out now-"

"Oh? Are you really sure of that?" all four kids were surprised where the sudden voice came from, but Dan wasn't. In fact, he was smiling broadly. Out of the blue, Shun landed smoothly on the ground; coming from above. He slowly stood up and faced the bullies with a dark expression. "If you lay a finger on these two, I promise I'll send you crying to your mom." the raven-haired male growled.

"O-oh yeah?" the leader retorted but was also showing a hint of fright from the threat. "We'll see about that!" right after that, he threw his fist and tried to hit the boy in front of him. He was surprised that he was then punching nothing but air. A spilt second after; he was pinned on the ground by said kid with the same dark face. He couldn't move at all, and even if he could, he was paralyzed with fear because of Shun's death glare. Suddenly, his emotionless mask turned in to a confident sneer. "You think you can really beat me with that kind of skill? _Pathetic_." Shun then pulled the collar of the boy's shirt close to him. "Bully them again and I won't show any mercy." he whispered. "_Understand_?"

The kid nodded like a scared little animal. The to-be ninja then released his grip on him, and all three of them ran away. As Shun said, they were crying for their mommy.

"_W-woah_..." Dan's classmate gapped from fear and amazement at the same time. Actually, she was more stunned that his friend approached the scary-looking kid with a big smile.

"Man Shun, I still don't get how you can just stand there without even being just a little scared y'know?" the brunette beamed as he gave a toothy grin. "You looked like the evil guy when we had those pretend sword-fight thingys too! You're amazing!" to Dan's classmate's surprise, the raven-haired boy's expression quickly changed from something frightening to one of happiness and slight embarrassment. "Hehe, really? I hope I didn't scare them too much." he said while rubbing the back of his head.

"I think you may have over-did it a little, but you were awesome back there. You're the best Shun!"

"...I was...kind of serious though...about what I said." the second-grader's face grew a bit red. "Anyway, if anyone bothers you again, I'll be sure to come and help you out okay?"

"'Course!" while they were chatting away, the two didn't notice how the girl was just sitting there on the grass; staring in awe. She slowly stood up from her place and tapped the brunette on the shoulder. "Huh? Oh, Miku, are you sure you should be standing?" he asked with concern.

"Nn...I'll be fine...he didn't hit me that hard..." she replied.

"Okay then. Oh yeah, I haven't introduced you to my best friend yet. This is Shun Kazami. He's a year higher than us y'know?"

"...oh, so you're the person who keeps on visiting Dan every so often." she said with a small smile; making said boy blush from embarrassment again. "Y-yeah...that's right. Sorry if I scared you too back there...did I?"

"A...a little..." she replied meekly. "But I didn't know you two were such great friends. I'm a little jealous."

"Well nobody said that you could be his friend too Miku." Dan nudged the raven-haired boy. "Right Shun?" the elder male nodded while rubbing the spot Dan hit.

Miku blushed. "T-thank you very much for helping us back there..."

"No problem." he replied. At that moment, he suddenly remembered about the new word he learned at class. He smiled as the brunette and the light-blue haired girl were talking with each other and he stood there and watched.

"Hey Shun, you coming or what?" Dan called. He noticed that they were a little far from him and nodded in response. He then ran towards the two and joined them in their conversation.

_My two priorities in life are to study, and to protect my friends._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **Hm...I don't really know where this came from. One of my usual 'deep-thinking' topics I guess. Woohoo, I finally did a bully scene! Remember Miku? She's supposed to be the girl in Cinderella but then Dan had to cover for her. XD There's also the mention of sword-fighting thingy from number 37. :P

Please Review~ The numbers are dropping...number 44! Can you believe it? (1/9/11)


	50. Report Card

45. Report Card

Shun didn't get why everyone looked so jittery today. Normally, his classmates would be happy that today's a Friday and it was the last period too, but for some reason, they were all nervous. "Is there something going on today..?" he thought as he rested his head on the desk. He then saw his teacher leaving the room early, and his adviser coming in with a bunch of cards. "Ooh, it must be that day..." he muttered with a small smirk. The raven-haired boy wasn't worried or anything, it's not like he's going to fail this quarter. Though, his quizzes looked like they went down a bit...

The teacher began to recite the honor students by random. Their highest apparently got first honors. "As usual." he mused. At some point, his name was also called. Shun wasn't surprised, and everyone congratulated him even though they also knew that he would get a merit card anyway. That's how we are in Report Card day. Smart people are respected in our school rather than being bullied or anything.

Scanning the paper in his hand, he sighed as he noted that his Social Studies didn't improve over the past few quarters. It may have been enough to get an honor, but it would have been better if he could get it up somehow...

Out of the blue while their adviser was handing out the other report cards, a loud shout was heard; coming from the floor below them. The raven-haired boy nearly laughed aloud; he recognized that voice anywhere. "Looks like he was able to get higher in Math after all." he snickered.

At dismissal, the elder male smiled as the young brunette couldn't help but jump around in happiness at the grades he got for this quarter. All of his marks went up and not a single one went down, which of course was a good thing. "In this quarter, I'm aiming for an honor!" he exclaimed enthusiastically as he pumped his fist up in the air. "You think I can actually do it Shun?" he suddenly asked.

Without even hesitating, he nodded. "Of course. But you need to work hard for it. Let go of the video games for a while and study for once. You just can't wing it all the time."

He pouted. "But that's what I do best! And I get good grades too so why can't I keep on doing it?"

"Because I'm sure you'll get higher if you actually study."

"Really?"

"Yep." the brunette seemed to mull over what his friend said for a bit. After a few seconds, he nodded with a grin. "Okay! From now on I'll study as hard as I can!" he turned around and faced the raven-haired boy. "I have to go home now and show my card to mom. See ya tomorrow Shun!" and with that he ran off.

Shun smiled at Dan's enthusiasm. He forgot to mention though that he needed to boost his Math by ten points just to get an honor. "Ah well, I'll leave that up to him." he chuckled.

* * *

**A/N : **I'm sorry that I haven't been updating! I've been having terrible writer's block for the past week and even if I had themes, I just can't see to make something out of it. Anyhow, I just got my report card today, so I thought 'Why not?' and made this. Yeah, it's short. But it beats writer's block.

I got an 87 in Filipino~ I'm so happy~ And I'm like Dan, all my grades went up except for Health. I thought I would get really low in my Filipino 'cuz I was so lazy in the Third Quarter...hehehe. I wing my quizzes most of the time. I think the only reason why I didn't get an honor is because of Social Studies...T-T

Please Review~ And don't forget to suggest! (1/14/11)


	51. Rain : Bonus Chapter

**A/N : **Bonus Chapter for two things. One, I need to find a way to get this stupid writer's block off of me. And two, for ten thousand total hits (climbing to eleven C:) I never thought how popular this story would become when I was starting it. Seriously. ^ ^

Anyhow, please enjoy more Dan and Shun fluff! Oh yeah, cookie for those who know where the song's from. Review please! (1/21/11)

* * *

Bonus Chapter - Rain

_Will the rain ever stop, I wonder? For a pretty long time now it's been cold_

_Why does the rain choose me? Why does it choose me who has nowhere to escape to?_

They both never expected it really, to be stuck under a tree with nowhere to go. The storm did not show any mercy as the wind blew even stronger, making the two boys cringed and move closer to the thick trunk. There was no way out to say the least. The rain so intense that they could hear the sharp sounds of the droplets hitting the ground like tiny bullets; the tree they were under at least sheltered them from this. But they were still getting soaked to the bone because they didn't have an umbrella or anything.

"S-shun..." the brunette shivered lightly. "How long are we going to wait..?"

"We have to wait until the rain lets up Dan." the raven-haired male noted how bad his friend was trembling. It only dawned on him now that he was the only one wearing a jacket and he wasn't. He frowned as the younger boy continued to shake noticeably. "You want to borrow my jacket?" the nine-year-old asked as he readily was about to take it off.

"N-no...I'm okay..." he replied weakly. Shun didn't believe him; not one bit. He placed the jacket over his shivering friend. "It's not good to lie about these kinds of things you know Dan." he muttered.

"Shun..." the red-eyed boy felt the warmth coming from the clothing around his body. It was nice...and comforting...

The elder male smiled. "I would like it better if I was the one that got sick instead of you."

"But, Shun-"

"I think the rain's getting weaker." he cut in while facing the humid atmosphere. "We just have to wait for a little longer, and then we'll go back to your house, okay?"

The brunette nodded slowly as he snuggled the jacket. "...you always help me out when I need it Shun...you don't even care if you get hurt...why..?"

The raven-haired boy paused as he looked down on the wet grass they were stepping on. "Because, I'm your friend." he beamed. "You told me that before too. Remember?"

A small laugh escaped from the younger child. "Seriously Shun, thanks. For everything."

"Thank you too Dan."

"For what?"

"...for being my friend."

_The rain keeps on falling today as well knowing no end_

_While we quietly nestle together under the umbrella I hold_


	52. Blaming

46. Blaming

Everyone noticed how furious the young brunette was as he stomped towards the grade four classrooms. He was holding his dark-purple gameboy in his palm and gripping it tightly. The boy then reached a certain classroom and opened the door swiftly, making a loud thump and everybody facing him. "Dan?" Shun asked.

"Shun, you borrowed my gameboy yesterday right?"

"Uh, yeah. What's the problem?" there was a stiff silence in the whole room. All of the others were listening intently, some of them were wishing for a clash or something.

"...my game got deleted." the raven-haired boy knew where this was going. "And you think it was my fault?"

"Well who else could it be?" he shouted back. "You were the one that last used it!"

"I didn't do anything to delete your game Dan. You must've pressed a button by accident-"

"I did not! The only reason it's gone is 'cuz you deleted it!"

Not being able to take this petty fight anymore with his classmate's stares, Shun stood up from his seat, went pass the door; grabbing Dan's shirt at the same time and dragged him all the way down to a quiet area behind the school. Along the way, the brunette had been struggling and shouting to let go off him, but the elder male stayed silent. It did cause quite a commotion since the school was so used to seeing these two as best friends. It worried the students a bit; including the teachers. Yet they knew that interfering would make the situation even worse, and the teachers had a lot of faith on Shun to solve the problem...

"Ugh, why did you bring me here?" he scowled.

"Because I don't find it comfortable to argue with someone where everyone's watching." he replied while folding his arms.

"So-so you admit you did it!"

"I told you for the third time, I didn't." he muttered; trying to keep himself calm.

The exchanges kept on going on and on for some time. As much self-control Shun had, if this went on for another moment, he would lose it and probably storm off. Dan was too stubborn to let this go; he was fully aware of that.

"Fine, if you won't say sorry then _we're not friends anymore_!" the brunette said out of the blue. Before the raven-haired boy could even respond, he was already gone.

Shun groaned. "What have I got myself in to..?"

* * *

**A/N : **Well best friends got to fight some times right? I decided that the last four will be all connected to this little scenario. The last one is reserved for some epic fluff. A good ending ah? Well, I hope it's good. And sorry for taking so long to update. I lost to writer's block several times this week. D:

Please Review guys! Oh I forgot, please check out my profile and vote in the 'Project Hiatus Breaker' poll. If you want me to continue other stories besides this one, please go there and participate! The project will start after Pyrus 'n Ventus' completion. (2/3/11)


	53. Petty Revenge

47. Petty Revenge

The day after Dan announced that they weren't friends anymore, Shun promised that he'll never get on his bad side ever again. It was total torture for him on the next day of school in more ways than one.

The first thing that happened was at recess, when he was sitting on a lone bench at the back of the school campus. Unfortunately, he only had enough money to buy a plain muffin from the canteen. The raven-haired boy didn't like it, but it was better than to starve in class. The weird thing was, just as he was about to eat it, the snack was quickly snatched from his hands. It took him a few moments to register that Dan was standing right in front of him with nothing but crumbs all over his mouth. The brunette didn't even comment on the stolen food, he just showed an emotionless face and left; leaving Shun still gaping in total shock.

The next event was after lunch. The ten-year-old was starving and just ate his lunch. Soon the bell rang, signaling everyone to get back in to their classrooms. Shun was going up the stairs until he saw one of his classmates on the top, panting. "There you are Shun!" he said with a concerned face. "Uhm, you need to come to the classroom. _Quick_."

Already alarmed, the black-haired male did as told and ran to his section. What he saw wasn't a pretty sight.

There was grafitti all over his stuff; from his table to his bag. Covered in red marker. And by the looks of one of his classmates trying to rub it off but failing, it was permanent. He groaned as he examined his things to check how bad it was. Apparently the young brunette was still furious about his lost game and took it out on his green bag. The boy sighed. "_Dan_..."

He only then thought that it may not only be his bag and table that were victims of the marker attack. He unzipped his backpack to check if there was anything graffited till he pulled out his homework that he was supposed to submit later.

It was covered in doodles. _Bad_ doodles. Shun had no idea if the doodles were made bad or Dan's just that sucky in drawing. Either way, his teacher was going to freak, and he probably had to do the whole thing all over again. This time his patience was getting lower since it took him about three days to finish that paper.

After school was done (the teacher was nice enough to give him more time to re-do it), Shun was barraged with a whole lot of strange murmurs and whispers. Because his grandpa was teaching him how to become a ninja, his ears were sharper than the average person, and he could hear exactly what they were saying. _"Is it true? He was the one that stole the poor kid's money?"_

He was dumbstruck. _What? What the heck were they talking about?_

_"I heard that he bullied a first grader a couple days ago in the park. It was terrible. The kid was crying for the whole day and had a whole bunch of bruises."_

_"You think Shun would really do such a thing?"_

_"Well other people are saying that he did it..."_

The raven-haired boy gritted his teeth. A false rumor. Great, when did Dan result to something so low?

He thought for a short moment that he could hear someone laughing in a distance. He closed his eyes; hard; trying his best not to go in a frenzy. This was crossing the line, and that really meant that the brunette really meant those words he shouted.

_"We're not friends anymore!"_

Without another word, he ran pass the gate and kept on running. Shun really didn't care where he was going, he just wanted to keep on running.

He didn't care that there were tears in his eyes either.

* * *

**A/N : **Sorry that this took so long. I haven't been able to think clearly for the entire week. It's soooo stressful...I love Fridays more than ever now.

Poor Shun, I probably would've cracked if someone scribbled on my research paper. D: It's amazing how much self-control he has. Along with the fact he's not angry at Dan, he's actually hurt pretty badly...poor Shun. :( Please review guys! If you do, you get to cuddle Shun and make him feel better! (2/11/11)


	54. Regret

48. Regret

It was a chilly Saturday, and Shun had been lying on the bed the entire day. He didn't know what to feel really, to be angry, depressed, furious, plotting revenge against his friend's revenge? When he thought of it, there was something terribly wrong about the situation. For the past three years that he had known the brunette, Dan would never ever try doing any of those things he did yesterday. Okay, stealing the muffin he would do, but a rumor's too far. Is someone helping him?

Shun ignored the constant knocks on the door and decided to try sleeping. He was wide awake the whole night yesterday, and his eyes were getting droopy. Closing his eyes, he quickly fell asleep; the last thing in his mind was if Dan...

-o-

The brunette was sitting on top of a cushy sofa; watching silently as his younger cousins were playing the Wii. Hugging one of the pillows tightly, he remembered what he did yesterday, and for the first time it crossed his mind that he did went too far.

Maybe he shouldn't have teamed up with that guy after all.

The young boy didn't realize how bad the rumors have circulated. He thought it would just do a little; he thought that if he did that Shun would say he was sorry. He didn't consider how much it would hurt. He was too caught up in the fact that all his hard work in his game was all gone. He had spent hours doing the same thing again and again just to get them to be the strongest. And then it was all gone.

Sure, he liked the free muffin, but after hearing the rumor for himself, he began to reconsider on this little revenge plan. The red-eyed boy wondered why Haruki, Shun's classmate, would spread such a bad rumor. He told him to make it tiny, not Shun bullying a kid. And then he heard yesterday dismissal about the graffiti incident too. _"Why...why would he do such a thing..?"_

Out of the blue, he heard a soft music playing. Looking up, he saw a white dog with a guitar doing a song. Well, there weren't any lyrics, but the music sounded sad; regretful. It matched Dan's mood perfectly. "It sounds nice doesn't it Dan-nii?" one of his cousins commented. "It's called_ Two Days Ago_...Dan-nii? Why are you crying?"

"...'cause I did something horrible to my best friend."

_I'm sorry Shun_...

* * *

_Two days ago, we were friends._

_Two days ago, we became enemies._

_I don't want that anymore._

_I should've...never doubted you._

_I should've said sorry instead of you._

_...but then, two days ago can be a long time...  
_

* * *

**A/N : **It's short and quick, and I had no idea how to continue it afterward. Kudos to those who know where the song came from. Seriously, when I first heard of it, this situation just popped in to my head. I felt that it matched it really well. For those who know how it sounds like, try playing it while imagining this scene...*sigh*

Please review guys! **Two** more to go! (2/12/11)_  
_


	55. Sacrifice

49. Sacrifice

When the raven-haired boy groggily woke up from his supposed nap, he only noticed that it was already night time. He found it quite surprising since he remembered falling asleep in the morning. _Was I that tired..? _Groaning, he got out of the bed and went downstairs for something to eat. The child went in to the dining while rubbing his eyes and saw that there was a bowl with food in it covered in plastic. His grandfather must've placed it there. "Thanks grandpa." he muttered to himself as he took off the cover and began to eat.

He quickly finished his meal with a small smile on his face. After carrying the bowl to the sink, washing it, and placing it back on the shelf, Shun decided to go out for a bit. He knew that since he slept for the whole day, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again tonight. Might as well walk it off and try to enjoy the cool evening. Slipping in to his shoes and grabbing a green jacket from the rack, he opened the door and was immediately hit with a cold breeze. The boy looked up and saw that the moon was shining bright in the sky along with the stars around it. It was a clear night, and that was good since he would hate to get caught under the rain. Closing the light and the door behind him, he began to make his descent from down the small hill his house sat on and in to the main road which lead to the city. He sighed when he remembered his friend; wondering if he was okay with everything. He had already chosen to apologize him the next day even though he didn't do anything. At least it should resolve the situation...he hoped.

Shun gripped his jacket and closed his eyes as a strong gust of wind blew by. He never knew how chilly nights could be as opposed to day, yet it wasn't so bad. In fact, it was so silent that he kind of liked it. He could barely hear anything besides the soft cricket chirps coming from the plants around him and the occasional breeze.

Pretty soon, he was at the park. The raven-haired male was so used to seeing kids scrambling around and having fun; yet now it was completely empty. Not a soul in sight. He sort of wished it would stay that way for now because he really didn't want to encounter a ghost or something of the sort. He wasn't in the mood for something like that at the moment.

After lingering on the empty path for a couple of moments, he walked out and in to the open road where cars usually pass. The more he stayed, the more he wondered what he was planning to do was the right thing. When he thought about it, this was all because of a game. The raven-haired boy hated the fact that the reason was so shallow. He hated that Dan ever took it so seriously. He hated that Dan didn't want to be his friend any more. It was just so...unfair...

Out of the blue, the surroundings grew bright. Before he could react, Shun was pushed to the side; making him fall to the sidewalk.

The last thing he saw was a boy about to get hit by a car.

"_Dan_!"

-o-

The black-haired male was holding a small gameboy in his grip as he walked along the halls of a hospital. He already asked the girl at the reception hall as to where the brunette was, and repeated the number about five times in his head so that he won't forget it. He soon reached where he wanted to go, and he was anxious. Steeling himself, the boy knocked softly and heard a voice inside. "_Yeah_?"

He opened the door. "It's me Dan."

The brown-haired boy looked a little hesitant to see him; his attention turned to the white blanket he was under. His mom was there with him, and knew that she shouldn't be here at this very moment. Without speaking, she stood up and walked out, showing a small smile to the raven-haired male. "I'll be waiting out here okay you two?" and with that, the door closed; leaving the two alone in the room.

Shun cringed silently as he saw the bandages on his head, arms and chest. He got hit pretty badly; the doctor said it was a good thing the owner of the car stopped the vehicle early, or Dan would have gotten even worse injuries; maybe he could've died. Either way, he was lucky that it wasn't too serious, just a concussion and a couple of scrapes and bruises.

"...it's my fault you got hurt." he suddenly mumbled aloud; making the brunette look at him with a bit of surprise. It was clear he was about to say something, but then closed his mouth because he really didn't know what to say. "Shun..."

As if remembering something important, the older child showed him the game console and gave it to the brunette. "This is...my thanks. For saving my life." a little cautious, Dan opened the gameboy and checked his games. They were all there, and he realized that none of them got deleted. "Wait, how..?"

"Apparently something was interfering with the console, so I had a guy fix it. The game was never deleted; it was just not accessible..."

"Hey, whatever happened to the promise of using smaller words?" he reminded. Shun unexpectedly showed a small smirk. "But then you said that we made that promise as friends. So since we're not friends anymore-" he cut himself there, because that sounded wrong now.

"It...was never your fault. About what happened. I...I'm really sorry for all those mean things we did to you."

"Huh? _We_?"

Dan nodded with a guilty look. "On Friday, your classmate approached me and asked if I wanted to get revenge on you for deleting my game. I didn't know what I was thinking really, but I said yes." with a small pause, he exhaled sharply. "H-he was the one that did the graffiti on your desk and spread that false rumor. I thought if he did that, you would say sorry to me. But, I never realized how bad he made it. Seriously Shun, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make it that bad. I...I..."

"It's okay Dan." the brunette blinked with small tears in his eyes. "You saved me, so now we're even, don't you think?"

Hesitantly, the younger child nodded again; but with a toothy grin this time.

"Let's promise not to take it too far when we're fighting, alright?"

"Yep!" the brunette then showed his pinky finger. With a smile, Shun took it with his own finger and shook on it.

_From that day on, they promised not to fight so hard ever again, because...they were friends._

_

* * *

_**A/N : **I'm starting to notice that I'm only updating in the weekends now. Augh, man, that's sad. D: Either way, the is the second to the last chapter of this fic! OMG, I never thought that I would see the end...I thought that I might give up in the middle or something. XD Anyway, thanks so much for all the reviews!

Next is the last one; the finale! Please review my fellow readers! (2/19/11)


	56. Farewell

50. Farewell

"What? You're leaving?" the brunette said with shock written all over his face. The older teen nodded; frowning. "My grandfather said that I'm not getting enough training; that I'm getting rusty. He wants me to go to the mountains to hone my skills-"

"But you...you can't just leave! What about..." he hesitated; thinking of something that could bind him back here besides..."school? You can't just drop out-"

"My grandfather already made arrangements with the principal. He said that I won't be attending this school anymore."

All Dan could do was gape. "B-but..."

"We both don't know how long I'm going to stay up there, so he got the safest choice. When I return, I have to transfer." suddenly, the bell rang, signaling for all students to go back to their classrooms. Without another word, Shun turned away and was about to walk until the younger teen grabbed his shoulder. "When are you leaving?" he asked as if it was the most important thing in the world. The brunette knew that his grandfather wouldn't bid him goodbye or anything; he'll be going on it all alone. He wanted to be there for him. At least this one time because ever since they were little, Shun had always been out there to protect him no matter what. Maybe he could help him out with many other things for the next few days; to help him get ready-

"...tomorrow. I...I have to go by tomorrow morning."

-o-

It was never Dan's style to wake up at four in the morning, but this was important. Really important. So important that he would skip the first few periods of school just to do this. Or to be absent; he didn't really care. Jumping out of bed and fighting his drowsiness, he grabbed his clothes and freshened up quickly. After buttoning his plain red collared shirt, he was about to go out of the door until he remembered something. He swiftly ran back to his desk, picked up a small item with his hand and placed it in his pocket. He didn't want to forget this. If he did, then going through all those shops yesterday would have been meaningless.

Silently, he went downstairs and opened the door. The morning was terribly cold, but that didn't mind him. It was still dark out, really dark; but he could already see the sky's color changing from the darkest blue to something lighter. Day was coming, and he knew very well that Shun would be gone by then.

Taking his bike, he quickly started to peddle and stay on the open road. The brunette was glad to have grabbed the scarf before he left because the wind was chilling and it made his teeth chatter. The teen clenched the thick scarf with his hand as he struggled to keep himself warm. He had an hour before he would reach the mountain path. At this speed, it would take him around that time to get there. He could feel himself going faster and faster; as if lost in time. The only thing Dan was really focused on was to keep on moving.

Pretty soon, the houses around him faded and the only thing he could see were open meadows. There were few trees around, but they gradually began to multiply as he went farther and farther from his home. He knew that he had passed Shun's house by now; which meant that he was getting close. There was only one mountain near the area, and that's where they were going. He would meet him there; no matter how much the raven-haired male said he didn't want to. Dan refused obviously; who would want to ignore your best friend leaving you for who knows how long?

It was not long after the fog around him dispersed and he rested on loamy soil. Plants were everywhere; the placed looked like a nature wonderland. From here, the brunette placed his bike on a nearby tree and went on by foot. He didn't even decide to rest for a bit, especially when he realized the sky above him was now blue instead of black.

It was probably around five am now.

Dan continued to trudge on until the road he stepped on started to become rocky. Soon, the trees around him disappeared, and he could see now a wide open path to the higher parts of the mountain.

Surprisingly, there was a figure waiting there; crossing his arms. "Shun?"

"I knew you would come." he said while closing his eyes. He was in his usual ninja garb; only it looked more suited for colder areas. He had a small backpack, but the younger teen didn't see any signs of a sleeping bag or other things for a camp anywhere. "This is also part of my training Dan. I have to use the resources around me for me to survive out in the open."

The brunette pushed away the fact that it was creepy yet usual that he knew what he was thinking and went closer to him. "Do you...really have to go?"

"...for the thousandth time, yes." the older teen replied with a tiny smirk.

Dan didn't seem so amused though. "Why can't you just train back at home? Why all the way out here?"

He looked hesitant to answer. "Grandfather never told me, but I think I know the reason." Shun sighed. "He thinks I'm getting too distracted. Remember before he hated it that I was playing Bakugan all the time and not training? I think it's the same thing, only..."

"Only what?"

"...that life _other_ than being a ninja is now the distraction."

It took a few seconds for Shun's words to sink in to the young teen. "Wait, he thinks that _I'm_ interfering with your training?"

"Along with everything else, yes." they were both still for a few moments.

"And you can't go against him?"

"How could I? He took me in when my mother died. I just..._can't_. I can't use Bakugan anymore to escape; I realized afterwards that I was just a coward when I was trying to do that. But now, I don't have any options. It's either I go along with this or I'll probably never see you again. Or the world that is."

"Shun..."

"I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll try every day even if it kills me to master this technique. If I can do that, I can go back to the city-"

"Hey, don't go too far okay? I won't forgive you if you hurt yourself just to come back." he said; small tears forming.

The raven-haired male smirked. "Are you crying?"

"_N-no_! I...I just have something in my eye!" he retorted quickly. Out of the blue, Shun patted him on the shoulder; a sign of showing reassurance in his case. "It's not like I'm going to be gone forever."

"To me it will." the brunette mumbled with a sob. The ninja frowned; he never thought that it would hurt him this badly. And then Dan did the most unexpected thing Shun thought of, he hugged him. "I'll miss you." it took a few moments before he could place his own arms around the younger teen. "Me too." he replied softly. In truth, the raven-haired male missed the familiar feeling of being hugged as well. The last he ever did so was before his mother died, and that had been a long time ago. He never bothered to show any affection to his grandfather, besides, it was a sign of weakness to him. The feeling of having someone he truly cared for in his arms nearly brought him to tears. But he fought it back; knowing that if he did, Dan would cry even more. And that was the last thing he would want. He didn't want to make the goodbye even harder as it is.

What felt like minutes but only seconds later, they let go of each other and said their final goodbyes. Before long, Shun turned and was about to leave until he stopped him; just like the other day. "Promise that you'll return soon alright?"

"Of course-"

"Promise?" there was a short silence between them. Shun could already see a six-year-old Dan holding out his finger to him. _The very first time_ he remembered. With a smile, he shook on it. "Promise."

-o-

Shun looked up at the star-lit sky with a frown. It was only his first night on the mountain and he already felt...home-sick. Turning his attention away from the sky and the lit campfire in front of him, all he needed to do was sleep and prepare for the first day of training tomorrow. He spent the entire day just gathering food, looking for a near and safe water source and a place to camp out. He knew the dangers; there were wild animals around here; more active at night. But he planned to sleep on a tree tonight; out of harm's reach. With all that done, he had a lot of time to think about what happened that morning.

The ninja sighed knowing that lingering on the topic too much wouldn't help him focus. After all, the faster he's done with this, the faster he can get back home. He was about to stand up until he heard something fall out of his pocket. The teen found it strange since he didn't recall placing anything in there...

"What the..?" he picked up the small object and recognized it almost immediately. It was a piece of candy; but it wasn't just any candy. It was the candy that he and Dan fought over all those years ago. The reason how they met in the first place. He couldn't help but grin at the sight of it, and then he noticed there was a note hanging on it. The hand-writing was all too familiar to the fifteen-year-old.

_'I still remember that I owe you candy_

_so don't forget me alright?'_

Out of the blue, Shun laughed; a cheerful one that shattered the silence of the woods behind him. "What makes you think I'll forget you?" he muttered to no one in particular. He looked up again with a grin; this time he was filled with a sense of gratitude and determination. "But seriously Dan...thanks. For everything."

* * *

**A/N : **This is...probably the longest chapter in the series. Anyway guys, this really means a lot to me. Because well, this is the first fic I finished that's really long and stuff. I am really going to miss this. Thank you to everyone who has been reading this and reviewing and all the favorites and stuff. Man, I'm gonna cry here...oh wait, I'm not. But man I kept on squealing as I wrote this. I told you it's epic fluff! But maybe I went a little too overboard. Hehe.

Seriously, thank you all. Please review? This is the last time! Augh, I'm running out of things to say. Other than you should really try imagining the last one while using 'Sympathy' from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon : Explorers of Sky as the BGM. I tried, and man it suited so well for some reason. Those who got their DS's and finished the game, listen to it! It's really good!...I think.

Okay, I'll stop rambling. I can't show enough gratitude to all of you...*sniff*


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